This study looked at whether it’s affordable for Medicaid to pay for community doulas, trained support workers who help during pregnancy, birth, and after delivery. Researchers compared healthcare costs for patients with and without doula support through a program called Best Beginnings for Babies. They found that people with doulas had lower medical costs and better outcomes, … [Read more...] about Return-on-Investment Analysis of an Enhanced Community Doula Program: Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Considerations
CHW programs
Community Health Workers Research: Where Are We Now? A Narrative Review of an Expanding Workforce for Mental Health
Community health workers (CHWs) play a key role in helping people access mental health care, especially in underserved communities. They build trust, offer education and support, and are becoming more recognized as part of health care teams. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for their support grew as many communities struggled to get mental health help. The article also … [Read more...] about Community Health Workers Research: Where Are We Now? A Narrative Review of an Expanding Workforce for Mental Health
Barriers to seeking and delivery of essential health services in nine provinces of Afghanistan during the COVID-19 pandemic: community health workers’ perspective
During the COVID-19 pandemic, community health workers (CHWs) in Afghanistan faced many challenges while helping people access health services. This study, based on feedback from CHWs in nine provinces, found that the biggest barriers were lack of information about services, poor transportation, long distances to health facilities, and concerns about medicine shortages. While … [Read more...] about Barriers to seeking and delivery of essential health services in nine provinces of Afghanistan during the COVID-19 pandemic: community health workers’ perspective
Community satisfaction with the process of curative care administered by community health workers in the Boussé and Boussouma health districts in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is working to improve healthcare for children through community health workers. This study looked at what affects the quality of care they provide. It found that while many families do use these services, some avoid them at first, often because they worry it will waste time or are advised to go elsewhere. Key factors that influenced care quality included how easy … [Read more...] about Community satisfaction with the process of curative care administered by community health workers in the Boussé and Boussouma health districts in Burkina Faso
Costs and cost-effectiveness of community health worker programs focussed on HIV, TB and malaria infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries (2015-2024): A scoping literature review
This review looked at studies on how much it costs and how effective it is to use Community Health Workers (CHWs) to fight HIV, TB, and malaria in low- and middle-income countries. Most of the 33 studies came from sub-Saharan Africa and showed that CHWs help deliver education, find cases, support treatment, and refer patients. In most cases, CHW programs were cheaper and more … [Read more...] about Costs and cost-effectiveness of community health worker programs focussed on HIV, TB and malaria infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries (2015-2024): A scoping literature review