Hypertension and diabetes are major challenges in low-income areas, where many people lack diagnosis or care. In Lesotho, a program showed that community health workers (CHWs) using a tablet-based tool can effectively screen for these conditions. Scaling up is challenging, as many CHWs lack pay, training, and support, and adding tasks can strain them. Careful integration, CHW … [Read more...] about Benefits and limitations of rigorous cost analyses in community health
Editorial
Strengthening Community Health Workers’ Role in Noncommunicable Disease Prevention: Lessons From Tanzania for the Philippine Public Health System
A study in Tanzania showed that community health workers (CHWs) can play a big role in preventing and managing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and heart disease when they are well-trained, confident, and have the right tools. In the Philippines, barangay health workers (BHWs) face similar challenges; limited training, lack of equipment, and little involvement in … [Read more...] about Strengthening Community Health Workers’ Role in Noncommunicable Disease Prevention: Lessons From Tanzania for the Philippine Public Health System
Q&A with Madeleine Ballard
Dr. Madeleine Ballard leads the Community Health Impact Coalition (CHIC), a global group working to make professional community health workers a standard part of healthcare. CHIC is making professional community health workers (proCHWs) the norm worldwide by changing guidelines, funding, and policy. She helps push for policies that improve care for both patients and health … [Read more...] about Q&A with Madeleine Ballard
Community health workers: A key to halting Africa’s mpox outbreak
In response to the mpox outbreak declared a health emergency in 2024, Africa CDC and WHO led a coordinated effort across Africa with strong support from governments and global partners. A key part of the response was deploying thousands of community health workers (CHWs) in high-risk areas to support case tracking, vaccination, and public education. While major progress was … [Read more...] about Community health workers: A key to halting Africa’s mpox outbreak
Community Health Workers
Community health workers (CHWs) are trusted caregivers from the communities they serve. They help fill health care gaps and support people beyond clinic walls. Despite their important role, CHWs often face challenges like low pay, safety concerns, discrimination, and lack of support. Anthropologists have studied these problems and offered ideas to improve CHWs' working … [Read more...] about Community Health Workers