Results and cost-benefits of chronic disease interventions do not appear for years after efforts are initiated. As a result, community health workers (CHW) roles in the prevention of chronic disease in the United States are undervalued. This brief outlines evidence for integrating CHWs into the healthcare workforce and financial avenues governments can take to support CHW … [Read more...] about Integrating Community Health Workers into State and Local Chronic Disease Prevention Efforts: Program and Financing Considerations
Roles for mHealth to support Community Health Workers addressing COVID-19
Community health workers (CHWs) have been and continue to be important members of the healthcare workforce, delivering critical care to their communities during the ongoing COVID19 Pandemic. The authors provide guidance on how mHealth can support and enhance CHWs during the pandemic. They highlight that mHealth can increase contact tracing, improve education and training for … [Read more...] about Roles for mHealth to support Community Health Workers addressing COVID-19
Community health workers to improve adherence to anti-seizure medication in rural South Africa: Is it cost-effective?
Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience a high disease burden for epilepsy, a chronic neurological condition.The authors evaluate the cost-effectiveness of community health workers (CHWs) to improve adherence to medication for epilepsy in South Africa. They found that utilizing CHWs to improve medication adherence was cost-effective. … [Read more...] about Community health workers to improve adherence to anti-seizure medication in rural South Africa: Is it cost-effective?
Mind the Global Community Health Funding Gap
Although community health workers (CHWs) are widely valued as crucial members of the healthcare workforce, funding for CHWs and CHW programs continues to be inadequate. This commentary argues that to increase funding for CHWs and CHW programs, governments can build infrastructure for community health systems that are community-centered through policy prioritization and … [Read more...] about Mind the Global Community Health Funding Gap
Optimising geographical accessibility to primary health care: a geospatial analysis of community health posts and community health workers in Niger
Researchers used complete georeferenced census and other high-resolution spatial datasets to compare proximity of community health posts and CHWs in Niger in 2000 and 2013. Through modeling, they estimated that CHWs increased access to and geographical coverage of healthcare. The results highlight the utility of CHWs in increasing access to primary healthcare in low-resource … [Read more...] about Optimising geographical accessibility to primary health care: a geospatial analysis of community health posts and community health workers in Niger