Community health workers are recognized in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as important members of the health care workforce. The evidence shows that they can help improve health care access and outcomes; strengthen health care teams; and enhance quality of life for people in poor, underserved, and diverse communities. This article traces how … [Read more...] about Community Health Workers: Part Of The Solution
Scale-up
Paving a Path to Advance the Community Health Worker Workforce in New York State: A New Summary and Recommendations
The New York State Community Health Worker Initiative has researched the role of community health workers (CHWs) and identified how to advance this workforce through state-level recommendations on employment and practice, training and certification, and financing. In order for CHWs to be better integrated into the health care and social service systems, the … [Read more...] about Paving a Path to Advance the Community Health Worker Workforce in New York State: A New Summary and Recommendations
Community Health Workers Then and Now: An Overview of National Studies Aimed at Defining the Field
This article compares and contrasts 3 national studies of the US Community Health Worker (CHW) field spanning 15 years. Findings cover 4 areas of overlap among the 3 studies: CHW Demographics, Core Roles and Competencies, Training and Credentialing, and Career Advancement and Workforce Issues. Implications for the future development of research, practice, and policy are … [Read more...] about Community Health Workers Then and Now: An Overview of National Studies Aimed at Defining the Field
Scaling Up Integrated Community Case Management of Childhood Illness: Update from Malawi
This paper documents progress in the scale up of a program to train an existing cadre of community based health workers, known as health surveillance assistants, to provide integrated community case management of childhood illness between 2008 and 2011. It describes some critical challenges that affect the effectiveness and sustainability of the program, and proposes solutions. … [Read more...] about Scaling Up Integrated Community Case Management of Childhood Illness: Update from Malawi
Community Health Workers – A Local Solution to a Global Problem
This paper urges scaling up the communityhealth workforce in the United States to improve health outcomes, reduce health care costs, and create jobs. The most crucial lesson from global CHW programs is that the community rootedness of CHWs should be retained through careful, representative selection and by ensuring that CHWs spend most of their time in the … [Read more...] about Community Health Workers – A Local Solution to a Global Problem