Authors: Rachel Hardeman and Michelle Decker Gerrard
Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a unique and valuable role in their communities, particularly in reducing health disparities by reaching underserved populations. To support efforts to build CHWs into a sustainable component of the health care system, the American Cancer Society – Midwest Division sought to increase understanding of and document the work of the CHW workforce specifically in the four states they serve – Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Findings from interviews with key stakeholders and surveys of CHWs in the Midwest show that the role of a CHW is multi-dimensional and the profession differs widely by state and by agencies within each state. It is also important to note that CHWs with a certificate are more likely to report already doing cancer prevention. This suggests that training is an integral part of addressing cancer prevention and disparities.
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Resource Topic: Accreditation/Certification, CHW Role, Chronic conditions, Community Health Workers/Volunteers, Monitoring and Evaluation, Recruitment and Retention, Scale-up
Resource Type: Evaluation
Year: 2012
Region:
Country: United States of America
Publisher May Restrict Access: No