This article looks at how community health workers (CHWs) can strengthen and sustain their workforce. It highlights a model built around four goals: growing CHW leadership, building partnerships, creating supportive policies and systems, and securing diverse funding. The approach shows how CHWs themselves can lead local efforts to make their work more stable and long-lasting. … [Read more...] about Commentary: A Community Organizing Model for Advancing CHW Workforce Sustainability
Commentary
Community health workers role in combating public health emergencies lessons from Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone has faced major health crises like Ebola, COVID-19, and mpox, which revealed how weak the health system is. Community Health Workers (CHWs) have played a key role in reaching people in remote areas, helping with contact tracing, public education, and keeping health services going. However, they face challenges like poor training, low pay, lack of supplies, and not … [Read more...] about Community health workers role in combating public health emergencies lessons from Sierra Leone
Advancing community health worker models to support youth and families’ mental health
Community health workers (CHWs) are effective in delivering evidence-based treatments (EBTs), but their role in the U.S. mental health system is still limited. This article offers recommendations to better integrate CHWs into mental health care, especially for youth, by improving practices, research, and policies to ensure long-term success. … [Read more...] about Advancing community health worker models to support youth and families’ mental health
Addressing Teenage Pregnancy and Reproductive Health Among Latinx Adolescents and Young Adults
Despite a national decline in teenage pregnancy rates, Latinx and Black teens still have higher rates compared to white teens, with Latinx females being more than twice as likely to have a teenage birth. To address this, culturally inclusive care is crucial. Recommendations include offering culturally sensitive birth control counseling, addressing barriers such as language and … [Read more...] about Addressing Teenage Pregnancy and Reproductive Health Among Latinx Adolescents and Young Adults
Commentary: Sustaining Community Health Workers-The Importance of Professional Self-Governance and Self-Determination
The community health worker (CHW) field in the U.S. has grown significantly, especially in the past 15 years. While this growth has brought more recognition and funding, it has also introduced challenges, such as attempts by various agencies to redefine CHW roles without proper input from CHWs themselves. This commentary stresses the importance of CHWs maintaining control over … [Read more...] about Commentary: Sustaining Community Health Workers-The Importance of Professional Self-Governance and Self-Determination