Community health workers (CHWs) are effective in improving access to health care, promoting client knowledge and behavior change, and contributing to improved health status of individuals. However, few outreach programs have evaluated the financial impact of CHWs on health care systems and policies. A longitudinal repeated measures design was used to assess the return on … [Read more...] about Measuring return on investment of outreach by community health workers.
United States of America
Do community health worker interventions improve rates of screening mammography in the United States? A systematic review.
Community health workers (CHW) are lay individuals who are trained to serve as liaisons between members of their communities and health care providers and services. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize evidence from all prospective controlled studies on effectiveness of CHW programs in improving screening mammography rates. Participation in a CHW intervention … [Read more...] about Do community health worker interventions improve rates of screening mammography in the United States? A systematic review.
Comprehensive asthma management for underserved children.
In response to the 'asthma epidemic', local organisations in San Francisco formed the Yes We Can Urban Asthma Partnership, which uses a comprehensive medical/social model for paediatric asthma care. The Yes We Can Urban Asthma Partnership reaches out to high-risk children in different clinical settings: urgent visits, the hospital, a comprehensive specialty asthma clinic, and … [Read more...] about Comprehensive asthma management for underserved children.
Community health workers: a front line for primary care?
Among the potential changes invoked in discussions on health system transformation, a need to revitalize primary care remains paramount. One way of doing this, most agree, is to move more in the direction of team-based care. Professionals such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners may be able to ease some of the physician's clinical care load, but some populations … [Read more...] about Community health workers: a front line for primary care?
Promotoras as Mental Health Practitioners in Primary Care: A Multi-Method Study of an Intervention to Address Contextual Sources of Depression
We assessed the role of promotoras—briefly trained community health workers—in depression care at community health centers. The intervention focused on four contextual sources of depression in underserved, low-income communities: underemployment, inadequate housing, food insecurity, and violence. After a structured training program, primary care practitioners (PCPs) and … [Read more...] about Promotoras as Mental Health Practitioners in Primary Care: A Multi-Method Study of an Intervention to Address Contextual Sources of Depression
