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Resources by Topic: Community health workers

The Intersection of Workplace and Environmental Exposure on Health in Latinx Farm Working Communities in Rural Inland Southern California
Analyzes access and barriers to healthcare services for Eastern Coachella Valley rural farmworkers who are exposed to workplace and environmental health risks. Reports on 9 culturally responsive in-home interviews conducted from 2017 to 2018 with the assistance of a bilingual Spanish-Purépecha Latina promotora. Provides demographic information of participants and quotes from interviews related to themes such as environmental exposures, including the nearby Salton Sea; agricultural labor and its impact on health; chronic health conditions and trauma of exposures; and community-proposed solutions.
Author(s): Ann Marie Cheney, Tatiana Barrera, Katheryn Rodriguez, Ana María Jaramillo López
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12940
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
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Community Health Worker Intervention Improves Early Childhood Vaccination Rates: Results from a Propensity-Score Matching Evaluation
Examines the effectiveness of community health worker (CHW) home visiting interventions in the Health Start Program (HSP) in Arizona to improve childhood vaccination rates. Utilizes the Arizona State Immunization Information System (ASIIS) database to compare vaccination uptake among children whose mothers participated in the HSP between 2006 and 2016 to a demographically similar cohort. Analyzes vulnerable populations with a history of low vaccination uptake including Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian, children of low socioeconomic status and/or living with parents with less than a high school education, rural border counties, children with teen mothers, and first-born children.
Author(s): Patrick Wightman, Kelly McCue, Samantha Sabo, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22,1854
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
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Exploration of Multilevel Barriers and Strategies That Affected Early COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing in Rural Latino Communities in Southwest Florida
Examines barriers and strategies affecting COVID-19 vaccination and testing uptake in rural Latino communities in southwest Florida. Uses data from interviews conducted between March-April 2021 with 25 key stakeholders including rural Latino community members, local leaders, and community health workers.
Author(s): Acadia W. Buro, Kevin Roman Candelaria, Rocio Bailey, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18), 11785
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
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Promotoras de Salud in a Father-Focused Nutrition and Physical Activity Program for Border Communities: Approaches and Lessons Learned from Collaboration
Explores the role community health workers, or promotoras de salud, played in the design, implementation, and evaluation of a father-focused health program for rural Latino communities on the U.S.-Mexico border. Highlights some of the health and wellness issues for children and adults in the poor and underserved colonias along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Author(s): Cassandra M. Johnson, Marlyn A. Allicock, Joseph R. Sharkey, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18), 11660
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
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A Hybrid Implementation-Effectiveness Study of a Community Health Worker-Delivered Intervention to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk in a Rural, Underserved Non-Hispanic Black Population: The CHANGE Study
Examines a sample of 255 Black participants on the effectiveness of the Carolina Heart Alliance Networking for Greater Equity (CHANGE) Program delivered by Community Health Workers (CHW) to rural adults in North Carolina. Provides information on program content, participant characteristics, implementation variables, and overall program effectiveness on blood pressure, nutritious eating, and physical activity.
Author(s): Carmen D. Samuel-Hodge, Ziya Gizlice, Sallie D. Allgood, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Health Promotion, 36(6), 948-958
Date: 07/2022
Type: Document
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Maryland Community Health Worker and Employer Surveys: Analysis and Report, With a Focus on Rural Maryland
Examines the Maryland landscape of community health workers (CHWs) and the organizations that employ them; identifies barriers and facilitators to incorporating the CHW skillset into patient-centered healthcare models; and determines the impact of CHWs on access to healthcare and use of preventive health services by the people they serve. Features statistics including demographics, services provided, funding sources, and type of employer, with breakdowns by urban or rural area.
Author(s): Brian Robertson, John Charles, Allison Tippery, et al.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maryland State Office of Rural Health
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Rx for the Rural Healthcare Workforce and Access to Care
Podcast with Tom Morris of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy about trends related to the rural healthcare workforce and efforts to overcome challenges. Discusses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural hospital closures, telehealth, graduate medical education in rural areas, community health workers and community paramedics, funding opportunities to promote healthcare access in rural areas, the opioid crisis, and more.
Author(s): Jessica Nicholson
Date: 05/2022
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: The Conference Board
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Evaluating the Dissemination and Implementation of a Community Health Worker-Based Community Wide Campaign to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Physical Activity among Latinos along the U.S.-Mexico Border
Describes a culturally tailored community-wide program to augment fruit and vegetable consumption and promote physical activity among 5,686 low-income Latinos of Mexican descent living in Texas. Features demographics and statistics on changes in fruit and vegetable consumption over the course of the intervention.
Author(s): Paul Gerardo Yeh, Belinda M. Reininger, Lisa A. Mitchell-Bennett, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 4514
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
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Medicaid Coverage of Community Health Worker Services
Provides an overview of types of community health workers (CHWs) and the services they provide. Summarizes studies examining the effects of CHW programs on health outcomes and costs. Discusses state approaches to covering CHW services through Medicaid, including the services covered, regulatory authorities used to provide Medicaid payment, the populations served, and training and certification requirements.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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The Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Primary Care Access for Underserved Populations: An Assessment of the Literature
Review of research literature to assess whether policy initiatives targeting primary care access for rural and underserved populations has been effective in reducing healthcare disparities. Initiatives considered include availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability.
Additional links: Fact Sheet: Alleviating Structural Barriers to Obtaining Primary Care Services, Fact Sheet: Bringing Outpatient Clinics into Communities, Fact Sheet: Ensuring Comfort and Communication in the Delivery of Primary Care Services, Fact Sheet: Increasing the Availability of Primary Care Clinicians, Fact Sheet: Removing Financial Barriers to Primary Care
Author(s): Maanasa Kona, Megan Houston, Nia Gooding
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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