PROFESSIONALS
COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS
Community health workers (CHWs) are on the front lines of public health – improving access to health care, connecting people to essential services, and reducing health disparities based on race, ethnicity, gender and class. Working for community health centers, hospitals and numerous other health and human services agencies, CHWs are a vital connection to underserved populations, immigrants, and many others.
CHWs are also known as community health advocates, lay health educators, community health representatives, peer health promoters, community health outreach workers, and in Spanish, promotores de salud. They are “community members who work almost exclusively in community settings. They serve as connectors between health care consumers and providers to promote health among groups that have traditionally lacked access to adequate health care."
—Witmer 1995, p. 1055
The CHW’s role is one that seeks to empower Medicare beneficiaries to foster responsibility, self-reliance, and ownership of their own health, rather than dependency. Other functions of the CHW may include:
- Being the liaison to community resources and referral agent – Knowing the community and services available within that community is important. Establishing trusting relationships is an equally important aspect of community knowledge. Being able to successfully refer individuals “to the right place, for the right service, at the right time” is crucial for successful health outcomes.
- Health counselor – A health counselor is one who is able to explain, clarify, and interpret the language of healthcare for the client, so that terminology, diagnostic elements and treatments are understood.
- Health advocate – The health advocate serves as a support system for the Medicare beneficiary until he/she learns how to advocate for him or her self. Within this role, the health advocate may assist the Medicare beneficiary in navigating through the health care system to successfully guide the individual towards appropriate problem-solving and care options.
- Health educator –Educate individuals or groups and/or facilitate education options and assist Medicare beneficiaries in gaining knowledge needed to make the best choices for maintaining their health, lowering their health risks, preventing illness and managing their chronic disease.
- Facilitator for support groups – Facilitating the support necessary for those experiencing diabetes or other changes is an important part of the Medicare beneficiary’s health journey. Successful programs have support as part of the process for change management and equip communities with the tools of support, such as coaching and facilitation to assure the transfer of knowledge and create sustainability.
Resources for Community Health Workers
Letters of support from the field
Volunteers Needed! If you are:
- Interested in becoming a community leader (you do not have to be a health professional);
- An individual with diabetes, know someone with diabetes or have experience with diabetes;
- Fluent in the language and culture of your community;
- Willing to help people with diabetes and their loved ones develop skills and confidence to manage their diabetes on a daily basis; and
Live in one of the following states/territories with the Every Diabetic Counts program: District of Columbia, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Contact the Health Disparities Quality Improvement Organization Support Center at 877-746-6465 or email us at healthdisparitiesqiosc@hcdi.com, and we will forward you the appropriate information.