Community Health Workers (CHWs) add value to your practice because they have the ability to carry out their roles “in the field” where your patients live, work, worship, shop and learn.
CHWs work in a wide variety of home and community settings such as:
- Patient homes
- Social services agencies and neighborhood centers
- Mutual assistance associations
- Affordable housing programs, services for the homeless
- schools
- Migrant health services and tribal health services
In these settings, they may help clients access needed services, complete applications to access benefits, and learn about preventive care and how to navigate the healthcare system.
Learn more
- Merck Childhood Asthma Network (MCAN) Webinar on Childhood Asthma Care Coordination in Diverse Settings, Sept 24, 2013 (PDF)
- Collaborating to Control Asthma in Chicago’s Public Housing Using CHWs, Webinar Slides, May 16, 2013
Anne Walton
A CHW can be the eyes and ears of the providers, and offer insight into potential challenges in the home or community support system that may be creating barriers to adherence. — Anne M. Walton, RN, AE-C, Asthma Care Coordinator/Research Nurse at Boston Medical Center
