Today's ambulatory care providers face numerous challenges as they try to practice efficient, patient-centered medicine. This article explains how community health workers (CHWs) can be engaged to address many patient- and system-related barriers currently experienced in ambulatory care practices. Community health workers are frontline public health workers who serve as a … [Read more...] about Community health workers “101” for primary care providers and other stakeholders in health care systems.
Research
Return on Investment From Employment of Community Health Workers
Community Health Workers (CHWs) are gaining acceptance in the US health care system, but have been subject to challenges as to their “cost-effectiveness.” This situation is shifting, with a growing body of published evidence as to the effectiveness of CHWs, but much of the evidence of cost savings from employing CHWs is still unpublished. Return on investment analysis for CHWs … [Read more...] about Return on Investment From Employment of Community Health Workers
Community Health Workers Can Be a Public Health Force for Change in the United States: Three Actions for a New Paradigm
Community health workers (CHWs) have gained increased visibility in the United States. We discuss how to strengthen the role of CHWs to enable them to become collaborative leaders in dramatically changing health care from “sickness care” systems to ones that provide comprehensive care for individuals and families and support community and tribal wellness. We recommend drawing … [Read more...] about Community Health Workers Can Be a Public Health Force for Change in the United States: Three Actions for a New Paradigm
Community Capacity As Means To Improved Health Practices And An End In Itself: Evidence From a Multi-Stage Study
This three-phase study characterized, validated, and applied community capacity domains in a health communication project evaluation in Zambia. Phase I explored community capacity domains from community members’ perspectives (16 focus groups, 14 in-depth interviews, 4 sites. These were validated in Phase II with 720 randomly selected adults. The validated domains were … [Read more...] about Community Capacity As Means To Improved Health Practices And An End In Itself: Evidence From a Multi-Stage Study
‘I Am Who I Serve’—Community Health Workers In Family Planning Programs
For decades, family planning programs and other public health programs have utilized community health workers (CHWs) as a way to reach and serve disadvantaged populations, often immigrants leery of governmentsponsored programs. CHWs—who are generally lay members of the same communities these programs are seeking to serve—provide a variety of functions, including outreach, … [Read more...] about ‘I Am Who I Serve’—Community Health Workers In Family Planning Programs