Community Health Workers as Influential Health System Actors and not "Just Another Pair Of Hands"

Community Based Health Workers

This chapter examines the use of various categories of Community Based Health Workers as first line health workers in dealing with important health and social issues, for example with Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. It attempts to answer certain key issues: Are Community Based Health Workers valuable and cost effective? What should be their role? To whom should they be accountable? In what way shoul...

Community Health Workers as Innovators: Methods and Results from a Tele-Education Pilot for Community Health Workers in Detroit, Michigan

Community health workers (CHWs) have played an important role in improving the health of underserved populations in resource-limited settings. CHWs are trusted in communities that they serve, and are often able to see solutions to community problems that outside persons cannot. Solutions need to be low cost and easily accessible, and address the knowledge gaps among CHWs through appropriate tra...

Improving the Health and Safety of Community Health Workers

Definitely NOT Just another Hernia

A 77-year-old male presented to our emergency department (ED) with a 3-hour history of acute severe lower abdominal pain, inability to void, a swollen scrotum, and one episode of vomiting. His relevant past medical history included: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and distant right inguinal hernia repair. Vital signs were: 96.40 F, 101, 22, and 205/90. Examination revealed a normal abdomen and...

Community health workers combat readmission.

M R ALBERTS IS THE classic " frequent flyer. " At age 60 years, he has chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, anxiety, and chronic pulmonary emboli. Formerly a computer network engineer , he has been unemployed since 2010. He was admitted to the hospital 4 times within the first 6 months of 2011. His cumulative charges to Medicaid were $82 952— substantially higher than the na-tion's median in...