In a rural area of Bangladesh the methods used by village health promoters and the time available to them for their intended tasks were inadequate. Poverty and illiteracy in the community exacerbated their difficulties. Ways of tackling these problems are discussed in the article. … [Read more...] about How to make the most of village health promoters.
Case studies
Providing health care to low-income women: a matter of trust.
Trust is an important indicator of quality in patient-provider relationships and predicts adherence to certain protective health behaviours. It has been relatively unexplored among low-income or minority women. We explored health care experiences that influence patient trust among low-income women in the USA with respect to professionals and lay health workers … [Read more...] about Providing health care to low-income women: a matter of trust.
Texas’ Community Health Workforce: From State Health Promotion Policy to Community-level Practice
In 1999, Texas became the first state in the nation to recognize these workers and their contributions to keeping Texans healthy. This paper examines a state health promotion policy that culminated in a training and certification program for promotores and the impact of this program on the lay health education workforce in Texas. In 1999, the Texas legislature established the … [Read more...] about Texas’ Community Health Workforce: From State Health Promotion Policy to Community-level Practice
CHWs get credit: a 10-year history of the first college-credit certificate for community health workers in the United States.
Community health workers have become increasingly important in the U.S. health care system, playing a significant role in basic health promotion and care coordination; however, their status and visibility have not kept pace with their wider use. A major impediment has been the absence of systematic preparation-the field needs standardized education in programs that emphasize … [Read more...] about CHWs get credit: a 10-year history of the first college-credit certificate for community health workers in the United States.
Effective utilization and evaluation of indigenous health care workers.
The use of indigenous health care workers (IHCWs), who were key elements in community health care programs in the United States in the 1960s, has gone in and out of fashion in subsequent years. The author and his colleagues recently established a service program at Wayne State University's Institute of Maternal and Child Health that employs IHCWs. Characterizations of IHCWs in … [Read more...] about Effective utilization and evaluation of indigenous health care workers.