https://nachw.org/the-six-pillars-of-community-health-workers/

1 – CHWS ARE A UNIQUE WORKFORCE

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are a one-of-a-kind group of public health workers. CHWs as a profession have a designated workforce classification by the US Department of Labor, and are recognized health professionals by the ACA. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the US Department of Homeland Security deemed CHWs essential and critical infrastructure workers. With a unique set of core competencies recognized by local, state, and federal governmental organizations, CHWs are an underappreciated yet crucial workforce that promote social justice and help to achieve health equity and wellbeing for all.

2 – CHWS ARE A COMMUNITY-BASED WORKFORCE

Grounded in and committed to community advocacy, CHWs build relationships with those around them and help build treatment capacity in underserved areas. Trust, respect, and dignity for all human beings are core values among CHWs, and these public health workers are central to efforts to address clinical and community integration and the social determinants of health. CHW Networks and Associations help train and mobilize CHWs and provide support for local communities, from low-income city neighborhoods to remote rural villages, tribal nations, and territories.

3 – CHWS ARE A HISTORIC AND DIVERSE WORKFORCE

The history of CHWs goes back hundreds of years in the US. They’ve been here since the very beginning, in the form of tribal healers, and today are known by many different titles — community health representatives, promotoras, aunties, peers, outreach workers, and many others. As a reflection of the country they call home, they are diverse in ethnicity, language, and culture — the majority of CHWs are female people of color. These health workers have lived experience and cultural alignment, and deal with similar issues and suffer from many of the same chronic conditions as their ancestors, which makes them uniquely qualified to tackle community-based health problems.

4 – CHWS ARE A CROSS-SECTOR WORKFORCE

CHWs reduce barriers to healthcare and build capacity in underserved communities, helping their communities achieve optimal health and wellbeing. The social determinants of health are of particular interest to CHWs — they approach health with a holistic philosophy, considering socioeconomic and cultural factors in their attempt to achieve true health equity. CHWs establish formal and informal networks in local contexts and beyond to better leverage their collective strength and to serve their communities to the best of their abilities.

5 – CHWS ARE A PROVEN WORKFORCE

In terms of effectiveness, CHWs have proven how integral they are to clinical, public health, and social systems. 60 years worth of evidence of their effectiveness has been acquired through the study of CHWs in maternal and child health, chronic disease interventions, immunization, oral health, HIV, primary care, and many other disciplines. The results are clear: CHWs play a crucial role in societal healthcare efforts, as documented in countless randomized control trials, systematic reviews, and ROI studies of CHW interventions. In recent years, CHWs have increasingly been recognized for their contributions to addressing racial equity and the social determinants of health – by connecting individuals to basic needs and by organizing communities to address inequitable social conditions.

6 – CHWS ARE A PRECARIOUS WORKFORCE

As a majority-female workforce, CHWs face similar challenges to other female-dominated fields. They are among the lowest paid public health professionals, and frontline community work exposes them to communicable diseases, violence, and other forms of secondary trauma. Exacerbating these issues are an inconsistent professional identity and lackluster state and national-level legislation. Given the field’s issues, it’s not surprising that the CHW profession lacks sustainability in many areas such as recruitment, training, legislation, professional development, career ladders, and financing.

TOOLKITS

 Section I: Designing Community Health Worker Programs

This toolkit section will help you with:

• Preparing your team to implement CHW programs.
• Finding the right CHWs for population served.
• Recruiting, hiring, and onboarding CHWs.
• CHW training and continuing education.

Section II: Working Effectively with Community Health Workers

This toolkit section will help you with:

• Developing new or revising existing workflows.
• Assessing individual and community needs and identifying populations that CHWs can serve.
• Establishing CHW Caseloads.
• Documenting CHW Activities.
• Establishing effective team communication and feedback loops.

Section III: Understanding Screening and Responding to Social Determinants of Health

This toolkit section will help you with:

• Facilitation of a planning process for screening and responding to SDOH needs.
• Assessment for fit for organizations to determine which screening tool(s) provide the best fit based on individual needs (e.g., identifying domains to screen for).
• Assessment of organizational capacity to address SDOH (organizational services, resources and closing the loop on referrals).

Toolkit: Building a Community Health Worker Program

The Key to Better Care, Better Outcomes,& Lower Costs

July 2018

Authors: 

• Beth A. Brooks, PhD, RN, FACHE
• Sheila Davis, DNP, ANP, FAAN
• Loraine Frank-Lightfoot, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC
• Pamela A. Kulbok, DNSc, RN, PHCNS-BC, FAAN
• Shawanda Poree, MBA, BSN, RN
• Lisa Sgarlata, DNP, MSN, MS, RN, FACHE

The American Hospital Association in association with National Urban League formed a toolkit to provide information on how to implement and sustain CHW programs as well as the benefits of CHW programs to the organization and community.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Executive Summary

Chapter 1: Introduction and Background

Chapter 2: Defining the CHW Role

Chapter 3: Implementing a CHW Program

Chapter 4: Strategic Stakeholders

Chapter 5: Implementation Considerations and FAQs

Chapter 6: Case Studies

Chapter 7: Tools and Templates

Resources

References

Bibliography 

To access the toolkit, click here.

​​​The Health Homes Program (HHP) is desi​gned to serve eligible Medi-Cal beneficiaries with complex medical needs and chronic conditions who may benefit from enhanced ​care managem​ent and coordination. The HHP coordinates the full range of physical health, behavioral health, and community-based long-term services and supports (LTSS) needed by eligible beneficiaries.​

The HHP provides six core services:

1. Comprehensive care management
2. Care coordination (physical health, behavioral health, community-based LTSS)
3. Health promotion
4. Comprehensive transitional care
5. Individual and family support
6. Referral to community and social support services, including housing

Contact Us

We value your input. Please email any HHP questions, comments, or concerns to: HHP@dhcs.ca.gov

• HHP Program Guide (11/1/19)
  
• HHP Implementation Schedule
  
• HHP Impleme​ntation Update​ (September 2020)
  
• ​HHP Implementation Update (November 2019)​
  
• HHP Program Overview Slide Deck
• ​HHP Final UCLA Evaluation Design
  
• Aurrera Health Group - California's Health Homes Program: Lessons Learned and Promising Practices (February 2020)​
  
• HHP Member Success Stories by Aurrera Health Group September 2020 (not DHCS)​​
  
• HHP Member Success Stories by Aurrera Health Group February 2021 (not DHCS)​
  
• UCLA First Interim Evaluation of California's Health Homes Program (not DHCS)
  ​​
  

• Health Homes Program Funding Summary
• State Plan Amendment (16-007)
• Medi-Cal 2020 1115 Waiver Amendment (12/19/17)
• Assembly Bill 361 / Senate Bill 361
• Affordable Care Act Section 2703
  
  

• HHP Member T​oolkit (English)
• HHP Member Toolkit (Spanish) 
• HHP Provider Guide (2019)
• Information for MCPs, CB-CMEs, CBOs
  
• Fact Sheets for Members​
  
• ​HHP Outreach Toolkit (not DHCS)​​​​
  

• ​Trainings for Health Homes Program Staff

Resource Portfolio:

• Adolescent Health
• Agricultural Worker Health
• Archived Materials
• Clinical Care Teams
• Diabetes
• Elder Health
• Emergency Preparedness
• General Health Topics
• Grant Writing
• Group Activities
• Healthy Relationships
• Hypertension
• Language Accessibility
• Maternal and Child Health
• Materiales en Español
• Mental Health Resources
• Program Design
• Recruiting and Hiring
• Return on Investment
• Social Determinants of Health
• Supervision and Management
• Workforce Development

City Of Philadelphia  DBHIDS: Peer Support Toolkit

• Module 1: Preparing the Organizational Culture
• Module 2: Recruiting and Hiring Peer Staff
• Module 3: Service Delivery
• Module 4: Supervision and Retention

The interactive PDF format allows easy navigation among sections of the toolkit. The toolkit performs best when the PDF is downloaded to your device and opened in Adobe. 

To download the PCCI Peer Support Toolkit (275 pages)

To learn more about the Peer Support Toolkit, be sure to take advantage of a quick tutorial in this YouTube video.