Bridging communities, prevention, and heart health: U.S. strategies for CHW cardiovascular training and integration

Authors: Akua G Asare, Melvin R Echols

This review looked at how community health workers (CHWs) can help prevent and manage heart disease in the U.S. Evidence shows CHWs improve blood pressure control, medication adherence, and connect patients to needed services. Effective programs clearly define CHW tasks, provide proper training, and integrate them into clinics, payers, or community settings. To expand CHW impact, U.S. systems need standardized cardiac training, reliable reimbursement, and simple outcome measures to show value.