Close-to-community (CTC) providers, including community health workers or volunteers or health extension workers, can be effective in promoting access to and utilization of health services. Tasks are often shifted to these providers with limited resources and support from CTC programmes or communities. The Community Health System Strengthening (CHSS) model is part of an … [Read more...] about Supporting close-to-community providers through a community health system approach: case examples from Ethiopia and Tanzania
Case studies
What do community health workers have to say about their work, and how can this inform improved programme design? A case study with CHWs within Kenya
Community health workers (CHWs) are used increasingly in the world to address shortages of health workers and the lack of a pervasive national health system. However, while their role is often described at a policy level, it is not clear how these ideals are instantiated in practice, how best to support this work, or how the work is interpreted by local actors. CHWs are often … [Read more...] about What do community health workers have to say about their work, and how can this inform improved programme design? A case study with CHWs within Kenya
Better Health Through Equity
Healthy People 2020, the nation’s health objectives for the current decade, defines health equity as the “attainment of the highest level of health for all people. Achieving health equity requires valuing everyone equally with focused and ongoing societal efforts to address avoidable inequalities, historical and contemporary injustices, and the elimination of health and health … [Read more...] about Better Health Through Equity
Community Health Workers: A Review of Program Evolution, Evidence on Effectiveness and Value, and Status of Workforce Development in New England
Disparities across racial and socioeconomic lines in the utilization of health care services and in patient outcomes continue to plague healthcare systems in the U.S. (AHRQ, 2008; Smedley, 2003; Children’s Defense Fund, 2006). Policies to address health care disparities have varied, including steps to increase access to health insurance coverage at both the state … [Read more...] about Community Health Workers: A Review of Program Evolution, Evidence on Effectiveness and Value, and Status of Workforce Development in New England
Addressing Chronic Disease through Community Health Workers: A Policy and Systems-level Approach
This document provides guidance and resources for implementing recommendations to integrate community health workers (CHWs) into community-based efforts to prevent chronic disease. After providing general information on CHWs in the United States, it sets forth evidence demonstrating the value and impact of CHWs in preventing and managing a variety of … [Read more...] about Addressing Chronic Disease through Community Health Workers: A Policy and Systems-level Approach
