Community Health Workers in Rural Settings – Resources

Using Community Health Workers and Volunteers to Reach Complex Needs Populations
A recorded webinar that discusses how to integrate community health workers (CHWs) and volunteers into the healthcare system to care for complex patients in hard-to-reach areas. Includes a case study from rural Montana about collaborating with volunteers to help socially isolated patients access community resources and social services.
Date: 04/2017
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Community Health Workers Get Trained to Reduce Oral Health Disparities
Highlights programs serving the Navajo Nation, Texas colonias, and Appalachian Maryland that use community health workers to provide oral health education and improve access dental care.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Community Health Workers: Roles and Opportunities in Health Care Delivery System Reform
Identifies and discusses health services research on the utilization and integration of Community Health Workers (CHWs) into healthcare service delivery. Includes an analysis regarding the various CHW models, employment data, training and credentialing, and challenges associated with the development of this occupation.
Author(s): John E. Snyder
Date: 01/2016
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Community Health Worker (CHW) Toolkit: A Guide for Employers
Toolkit designed to provide prospective employers of community health workers (CHWs) a history and understanding of the field and how to implement CHWs into their practices in the state of Minnesota. Includes education and training requirements, a discussion of the roles of the CHW, and examples of successful community health worker models, among other topics.
Date: 2016
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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ROI Toolkit: A Guide for Conducting a Return on Investment Analysis of Your Community Health Worker Health Program
A step-by-step guide to help healthcare organizations learn and understand the key elements for conducting a return on investment analysis for their community health worker (CHW) program. Requires free login to access.
Date: 2016
Sponsoring organization: MHP Salud
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Addressing Chronic Disease Through Community Health Workers: A Policy and Systems-Level Approach
Provides guidelines for the integration of community health workers (CHWs) into community based chronic disease prevention programs. Includes examples from a variety of CHW programs, some of which serve rural communities.
Date: 04/2015
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Increasing Cervical Cancer Screening in the United States - Mexico Border Region
Discusses the effects of an intervention delivered by community health workers (CHWs), or Promotores de Salud, on cervical cancer screening rates for Hispanic women in the rural border area of New Mexico who were out of compliance with the recommended screening guidelines.
Author(s): Beti Thompson, Hugo Vilchis, Crystal Moran, Wade Copeland, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 30(2), 196-205
Date: 2014
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A Cost Analysis of a Community Health Worker Program in Rural Vermont
Examines the cost and effectiveness of a hospital affiliated community health program staffed by 3 community health workers in rural Vermont. Cost data was compiled from 2 categories that included the personnel involved and operational costs from 2010 to 2011.
Author(s): Alberta M. Mirambeau, Guijing Wang, Laural Ruggles, Diane O. Dunet
Citation: Journal of Community Health, 38(6), 1050–1057
Date: 12/2013
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The Evolution, Expansion, and Effectiveness of Community Health Workers
Reviews the development of Community Health Worker roles, accomplishments, and future contributions in rural and urban settings. Discusses the education and training of CHWs, and includes a detailed table of their activities in promoting prevention and well-being.
Author(s): Randall R. Bovbjerg, Lauren Eyster, Barbara A. Ormond, Theresa Anderson, Elizabeth Richardson
Date: 12/2013
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Promising Approaches to Integrating Community Health Workers into Health Systems: Four Case Studies
Identifies the scope of practice, supervision, financing, and the workforce standards implemented by states and employers in the development of community health worker (CHW) programs. Four case studies that include rural counties illustrate the challenges and opportunities for integrating CHWs into health systems.
Author(s): Lauren Eyster, Randall R. Bovbjerg
Date: 12/2013
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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