1: CHWs and HCH

4: Training CHWs

2: CHW Roles and Responsibilities

5: Supervision of CHWs

3: Hiring CHWs

6. CHW Integration and Support

Hear an introduction from Project Manager Julia Dobbins, MSW.

This guide is also available in Adobe .PDF format.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

The Council contracted with 12 HCH projects who are also members of the HCH Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN). The 12 HCH participating sites partnered with local safety net hospitals to administer the project. At these 12 sites, 15 CHW were employed. Depending on the need, some sites employed one CHW, where other sites employed two CHWs. The CHWs were notified by hospital or HCH staff when a client from their high-utilizer list was available in either setting for consult. If the client agreed to participate in the study, the CHW worked closely with the client to identify and address unmet needs. The CHWs served as outreach workers, case managers, and peer navigators and developed trusting relationships with clients based upon their similar backgrounds, shared experiences of homelessness, and an understanding of issues experienced while homeless. The project period was July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2015. Primary responsibilities of the CHWs participating in the project:

• Conduct targeted outreach to unstably housed individuals who are high users of ED services and in need of a medical home.
• Plan and prepare connections to primary care with HCH and ED staff.
• Assist clients in gaining access to and navigating a primary health care medical home and other community-based social services (i.e. behavioral health services, housing, legal, etc.) This assistance included coordination of transportation for clients to/from appointments, accompaniment as needed, and follow-up with clients regarding appointments, care plans, and health goals.
• Provide basic planning, casework, and health education services for clients while ensuring these services are both culturally and linguistically appropriate.
• Comply with data collection and reporting requirements of the project including documentation from intake interviews, monitoring client progress, and maintaining outreach/engagement logs.
• Develop relationships with area social services agencies to build knowledge of resources available to clients.
• Advocate on behalf of clients in order to facilitate access to resources and inform local stakeholders of client needs.

Finding value in the work of CHWs, most HCH clinics identified funding to maintain their CHWs after the project period ended. Click here to learn more information about the National HCH Council’s CHW project.

CHW VOICES

This resource guide features a series of informative podcasts, “CHW Voices,” which illuminate different facets of the recruitment, supervision, support, and responsibilities of Community Health Workers. You can listen to the podcasts within our Resource Guide, or click the button to the right to access the series directly.

These podcasts feature the voices of the following CHWs and CHW supervisors, to whom we give thanks for their participation:

Sharon Agee CHW Healthcare for the Homeless – Houston Houston, TX	Patricia Cawley Director of Case Management and Integrated Services Duffy Health Center Hyannis, MA
Rodney Dawkins CHW Heartland Health Outreach Chicago, IL	Sue Moore Director of Homeless and Public Housing Health Services Charles Drew Health Center Omaha, NE