Foundations for Community Health Workers Foundations for Community Health Workers is a training resource for client- and community-centered public health practitioners, with an emphasis on promoting health equality. Based on City College of San Francisco's CHW Certificate Program, it begins with an overview of the historic and political context informing the practice of community health workers. The second section of the book addresses core competencies for working with individual clients, such as behavior change counseling and case management, and practitioner development topics such as ethics, stress management, and conflict resolution. The book's final section covers skills for practice at the group and community levels, such as conducting health outreach and facilitating community organizing and advocacy. Praise for Foundations for Community Health Workers "This book is the first of its kind: a manual of core competencies and curricula for training community health workers. Covering topics from health inequalities to patient-centered counseling, this book is a tremendous resource for both scholars of and practitioners in the field of community-based medicine. It also marks a great step forward in any setting, rich or poor, in which it is imperative to reduce health disparities and promote genuine health and well-being." Paul E. Farmer, MD., PhD, Maude and Lillian Presley Professor of Social Medicine in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School; founding director, Partners In Health. "This book is based on the contributions of experienced CHWs and advocates of the field. I am confident that it will serve as an inspiration for many CHW training programs." Yvonne Lacey, CHW, former coordinator, Black Infant Health Program, City of Berkeley Health Department; former chair, CHW Special Interest Group for the APHA. "This book masterfully integrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a CHW through storytelling and real life case examples. This simple and elegant approach brings to life the intricacies of the work and espouses the spirit of the role that is so critical to eliminating disparities a true model educational approach to emulate." Gayle Tang, MSN, RN., director, National Linguistic and Cultural Programs, National Diversity, Kaiser Permanente "Finally, we have a competency-based textbook for community health worker education well informed by seasoned CHWs themselves as well as expert contributors." Donald E. Proulx, CHW National Education Collaborative, University of Arizona

Community health workers (CHWs) are an increasingly important member of the healthcare and public health professions who help build primary care capacity. Yet, in spite of the exponential growth of CHW interventions, CHW training programs, and CHW certification and credentialing by state agencies, a gap persists in the literature regarding current CHW roles and skills, scope of practice, CHW job settings, and national standards. This collection of contributions addresses this gap by providing information, in a single volume, about CHWs, the roles CHWs play as change agents in their communities, integration of CHWs into healthcare teams, and support and recognition of the CHW profession. The book supports the CHW definition as defined by the American Public Health Association (APHA), Community Health Worker Section (2013), which states, “A community health worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served.” The scope of the text follows the framework of the nationally recognized roles of CHWs that came out of a national consensus-building project called “The Community Health Worker (CHW) Core Consensus (C3) Project”. Topics explored among the chapters include: Cultural Mediation Among Individuals, Communities, and Health and Social Service Systems Care Coordination, Case Management, and System Navigation Advocating for Individuals and Communities Building Individual and Community Capacity Implementing Individual and Community Assessments Participating in Evaluation and Research Uniting the Workforce: Building Capacity for a National Association of Community Health Workers Promoting the Health of the Community is a must-have resource for CHWs, those interested in CHW scope of practice and/or certification/credentialing, anyone interested in becoming a CHW, policy-makers, CHW payer systems, CHW supervisors, CHW employers, CHW instructors/trainers, CHW advocates/supporters, and communities served by CHWs.

In Boundaries of Care, Ryan I. Logan details the lived experience of community health workers (CHWs) – a present yet often invisible facet of the healthcare workforce. These workers participate in nonclinical services to enhance the health and well-being of their communities outside the walls of the clinic and social service agencies. Logan examines the boundaries of and barriers to care present in the experiences of CHWs, their relationships with clients, issues of professionalization, impacts of burnout and self-care, and the critical impacts of CHW advocacy. Told through first-hand accounts and interwoven with theory, Logan presents the key challenges facing this workforce and their potential to foster even greater well-being within their communities. The findings and recommendations from participants found within Boundaries of Care can inform and shape CHW programs both in the United States and abroad.

Conclusion: Listening to Community Health Workers: Recommendations for Action and Research -- Recruit Strong CHWs and Provide Supportive Supervision -- Emphasize the Humanity of Patients, Quality of Life, and Empathic Care -- Build Solid Relationships across Social Dividing Lines -- Finance the Creation of Secure CHW Jobs -- Strengthen CHW Participation in Processes of Social Change -- Conduct Better Research and More of It -- United, Spider Webs Can Tie Up a Lion -- References -- Index.

Over half the world's rural population, and many in urban slums, have minimal access to health services. This book describes how to set up new, and develop existing, community-based health care for, by and with, the community.

Make sure your practice skills are up-to-date with the changes brought on by managed care As a result of escalating costs, the focus of health care in the United States has shifted from inpatient, hospital-based care to outpatient care in the community. Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care is a comprehensive guide to the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective and efficient practice within a managed-care context that’s focused on a diversified, aging consumer population and high-risk health conditions. This unique book examines the essential elements of community health practice, including logic modeling for planning and evaluation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the use of technology and telemedicine in social work practice. Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care presents practical information for social workers in the wake of the insertion of managed care as a “third party” to the relationship between physicians and their patients, and advances in medical care that are transforming previously acute and life-threatening illnesses to chronic conditions. The book offers a critical analysis of available research and model service delivery innovations, applying evidence-based practice to case studies in a style that’s easily accessible to practitioners, administrators, supervisors, and social work students. The book also includes glossaries at the end of each chapter and appendices that analyze online resources and address cultural background assessment questions. Topics discussed in Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care include: the revolution in funding and delivery evolving trends and healthcare needs of the consumer population a conceptual framework for culturally competent practice the nature of social work in ambulatory health a brief history of healthcare social work emerging practice settings the use of new communication technologies in practice methods for evaluating direct practice ethical considerations current community-based programs for culturally diverse and at-risk populations and much more Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care is an important resource for social work practitioners, academics, and students.

Bridging the Gap offers insights into how community health workers (CHWs) help immigrants overcome the obstacles to health care.

This book is a revised and enlarged edition of "The Primary Health Worker," a standard teaching text and reference manual developed for community health workers and their trainers and supervisors. The new edition has been updated with practical knowledge gained during the extensive field use of the previous work. The book also incorporates new information acquired in programs sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) for immunization and control of diarrheal disease. The most extensive part of the book is a working guide set out in 52 training and reference units. These have been selected as representing areas where community health workers can make a significant contribution toward the solution of problems in developing countries. Chapters include knowing your community, promoting a healthy environment, keeping the family healthy, health care of women and children, treating sick people, and getting the work done. The new edition also features more advice on ways to prevent diseases and secure community support, as well as on what to do when confronted with health problems, sanitation, or accidents. Also included are precise instructions for the correct performance of such basic procedures as the disinfection of drinking water, the building of latrines, injections, and the use of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The remaining sections present guidelines for the trainers of community health workers and for the preparation of local editions or adaptations of this book. (KC)

"Health is a universal topic although complex to understand because to adequately cover it requires the introduction of an historical context and socio-cultural factors. Health and health inequities touch the lives of millions of people of color across all regions, and a desperate search for innovative ways of reaching them in an affirming and cost effective manner. This search translates into cultural and linguistic programs that empower and foster social change, bringing immense rewards and challenges. Community health workers offer tremendous promise in getting much needed health care to those in most need, allowing for innovative practice in reaching those in greatest need. Health care, health workers, urban communities"--

Health Behavior, Education, & Promotion