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Beyond the Manuscript: “Carrying the weight of a broken system”: Community Health Worker and Peer Recovery Specialist roles transformed

This podcast episode from Progress in Community Health Partnerships features a conversation with the authors of the article "Carrying the Weight of a Broken System," which looks at how the roles of Community Health Workers and Peer Recovery Specialists are changing. The guests—Arryn Guy, Anthony Thigpen, and Jon Soske—talk with Editor-in-Chief Hal Strelnick about their work in … [Read more...] about Beyond the Manuscript: “Carrying the weight of a broken system”: Community Health Worker and Peer Recovery Specialist roles transformed

This study tested whether adding a digital care program to a community health worker (CHW) program could better help people in rural areas manage type 2 diabetes. Adults with diabetes were split into two groups: one got CHW support only, and the other got CHW support plus digital care. After 3 months, both groups showed a big drop in blood sugar levels, but there was no major … [Read more...] about Virta Intervention in CommuniTies in cOloRado Pilot Study (VICTOR-Pilot), to Improve Diabetes and Cardiovascular Risk in Rural Communities Primary Results

This study looked at whether targeted training could help community health workers (CHWs) better understand and communicate health information, especially to people with low health literacy. Fifty CHWs in Pennsylvania took part in online training sessions. After the training, CHWs showed significant improvements in their knowledge and confidence. Those with higher education … [Read more...] about Targeted Virtual Health Literacy Education for Community Health Workers: An Evidenced-Based Quality Improvement Project

This study tested whether a community health worker (CHW) program called IMPaCT could reduce hospital use and improve primary care visits for low-income patients in Portland, Oregon. In the program, CHWs helped patients set health goals and supported them through regular communication over three months, mostly by phone because of COVID-19. Compared to usual care, patients who … [Read more...] about Effects of a Standardized Community Health Worker Intervention on Health Care Utilization Within an Integrated Delivery System

This small study tested using community health workers (CHWs) to help patients with high blood pressure and other needs. Thirty-five patients were referred to a CHW, and most were Black with an average age of 54. After six months, both blood pressure and social needs improved. Patients generally liked working with CHWs but sometimes found it hard to build a connection or … [Read more...] about Feasibility of Deploying Community Health Workers to assist with Health-Related Social Needs and Hypertension in Community Care Clinics