It’s time to celebrate National Community Health Worker Awareness week!
Photo by Sasirin Pamai (via Vecteezy)
Learn
What is a Community Health Worker (CHW)?
CHWs are “front line” public health workers who have strong ties to and relationships within the communities, cultures, and people they serve. A CHW could be your neighbor, a member of your church, part of your parent group, or someone who works and lives in your community, and will often, “share ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, and life experiences with the community members they serve.” (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
CHWs help community members access the health and social services they need. They serve as a trusted liaison between health systems, community-based organizations, and the communities those entities work with to strengthen health equity, access, and social justice within their service area, and help build “individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy.” (American Public Health Association)
Community Health Worker COVID-19 Response
To see just how valuable CHWs are to the community, you need look no further than their role in the COVID-19 response efforts. During the pandemic, hundreds of CHWs were deployed across North Carolina to help address community needs. These CHWs played a crucial role in getting information, vaccines, social services, and other healthcare support to millions of North Carolinians who might not otherwise have been able to access those resources at a time when traditional healthcare systems were overloaded and overwhelmed. They also helped address social isolation, mental health, and basic survival needs such as food and transportation among community members who may not have had friends, family members, or other support systems in place to support them.
The Future of Community Health Workers
Now that their pandemic work is winding down, CHW associations and groups are working together with policy makers, community organizations, and others to secure the training, funding and organizational support to continue and expand the work of CHWs across the state (and the country) to help build even stronger, more resilient, and healthier communities. Stay up to date on CHW initiatives, policy, programs and more by checking out the links below:
CHW Policy Whitepaper:
Partners In Health - US: Medicaid Financing for Community Health Workers
North Carolina CHWs in the newws:
NCDHHS: "NCDHHS Highlights the Importance of Community Health Workers"
Hickory Daily Record: "Better health hinges on funding, Catawba County woman writes"
NC Health News: "During the pandemic, community health care workers provided a bridge to care for marginalized populations. Now what?"
Care Share Health Alliance: "Equity+ Podcast Ep. 3 Connecting Communities to Health w/ Honey Yang Estrada"
Partners In Health - US: "'We've got to stick together': Community health workers advocate at North Carolina capitol"
Act
Want to learn more about what community health workers do, how to partner community health workers with your practice, or even how to become a community health worker yourself?
Visit the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Community Health Worker section and the NC Community Health Worker Association website for more information and links to training, certification, and other resources. You can also visit the National Association of Community Health Workers website to learn more about nationwide efforts and policy to build a strong community health worker network.
Additionally, CHW training opportunities are being offered at community colleges across the state (known as the Standardized Core Competency Training or SCCT). These course offerings are kept up-to-date on the NCCHWA's website, and participants who pass the course are eligible to seek formal certification and membership through NCCHWA. The CHW Initiative team of partners is excited to continue to develop additional trainings, tailored specializations, and certification levels to ensure CHWs have the tools they need to continue serving their communities and develop in their careers!
Engage
Upcoming CHW Events in 2023:
Southeast Community Health Worker Summit
September 14th and 15th, Charlotte, NC.
NC Community Health Worker Summit
November 30th/December 1st, Greensboro, NC.
For more information about these events, contact the North Carolina Community Health Worker Association
