Sponsored By W. K.

Kellogg Foundation
Community Health Workers
What Are They?
Community Health Workers

A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a frontline

public health worker who is a trusted member of and
has an unusually close understanding of the
community served.
 Community Health Workers
Are Known By Many Titles
• Community Health Advocates
• Community Health Educators
• Outreach Workers
• Community Health Advisors
• Lay Health Advocates
• “Promotores (as)”
• Outreach Educators
• Community Health
Representatives
• Peer Health Promoters
• Mental Health Aides
• Navigators
• Peer Health Educators
 What do CHWs do?
• Outreach, community
mobilization and advocacy

• Community/cultural liaison

• Home based services and

social support

• Health promotion, prevention

and education

• Navigates health systems

• HealthCare Team member

Clinic-Community Linkages
ROLES OF CHWs

COMMUNITY
• Point person for community
resources
• Provides social support
• Flexibility of “office” – may
be in the community
• Home visitor
CLINICAL
• Serves as a liaison between
the patient and various
resources
• Reinforces educational
messages given to the
patient by the healthcare
team
• Operates as a member of
the healthcare team
• Flexibility in location of
“office” – may have a base
at a clinic.
Improving Quality of Care

IMPACT ON CARE

Clinical
• Fewer visits for same
complaint
• Patient compliance with
clinical instructions
• Improves health outcomes
• Empowers patient
• Improves quality of care

Community
 Healthier communities
 Healthcare costs lowered
 Increased access to care
Where Do CHWs Work?
CHWs provide services in a
number of settings including
community clients’ homes, faith-
based organizations, their
employers or sponsoring
agencies, community health
centers,non-profit organizations,
public health clinics and private
clinics, public housing
organizations, hospitals and other
settings.
What Training Do CHWs
Have?
CHWs receive training to help
them understand their roles as
members of the health or social
service teams. CHWs have eight
core competencies on which they
must train and become
knowledgeable. These assure
mastery of knowledge and skill,
provides a holistic approach to
meeting community health needs,
links learning to employment
opportunities and meets
certification requirements.
CHWs in Mississippi

Community Health Workers are

currently being used to build
capacity to reduce health
disparities. In Mississippi, they are
being used to address direct care,
prevention, and intervention
 CHWs in Mississippi

CHWs work at the community level

in both rural and urban communities
to help health and social service
agencies address issues such as
diabetes, child health, high blood
pressure, nutrition, tobacco control,
lack of access to healthcare and
health education, and health
disparities through health education
and health promotion activities.
 The majority of CHW services in MS are currently not
eligible for reimbursement. However, CHW services are
reimbursed for a small percent of agencies such as SCHIP,
Medicaid, Medicare, and private health insurance.
National support & movement
towards CHW recognition

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of

2010 (PPACA) cites CHWs in three sections — §5101,
§5313, and §5403 — and identifies them as an
important part of the health care workforce.
 Mississippi Organizations
Use of CHWs

• 78% are nongovernment organizations

• 75% utilize a combination of paid and volunteer CHWs
• 38% of CHWs work in programs supported by HRSA
• Nearly 30% of the organizations fund their CHWs using a mix of
federal, state, local and private sources.
• 1 in 3 organizations view CHWs as a viable part of the work force.
 National Support & Movement
Towards CHW Recognition
• Association of State and Territorial
Health Officials 2012
• CDC Division for Heart Disease and
• Stroke Prevention 2011
• National Prevention Council 2011
• HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and
Ethnic Health Disparities 2011
• American Association of Diabetes
Educators 2010
• Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010
• HHS National HealthAction Plan to
ImproveHealth Literacy 2010
• Agency for Healthcare Research &
Quality 2009
• American Public Health Association
2009, 2001
• National Conference of State
Legislatures 2008
• National Fund for Medical Education
2006
• Institute of Medicine 2003
• American Medical Association 2002
 For More Information on
Community Health Workers
Tougaloo College
Central Mississippi Area Health Education Center
350 W. Woodrow Wilson Drive, Suite 3320
Jackson, MS 39213
Phone: (601) 987-9463

Website:
www.tougaloo.edu/administration/health-and-wellness/central-mississippi-area-
health-education-center
or
http://tinyurl.com/wearechws

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