Definition Community Health Worker

Community health worker chw is an umbrella term describing public health and or social service workers who are close to and serve members of the community by helping them to adopt healthy behaviors.

Definition community health worker. In the context of this study. Chws are public health workers who apply their unique understanding of the experience language and or culture of the populations they serve in order to carry out one or more of. The term community health worker has been used to refer to volunteers and salaried professional or lay health workers with a wide range of training experience scope of practice and integration in health systems. A community health worker chw serves as a liaison between the community and the health care government and social service systems.

A widely accepted definition was proposed by who. Community health worker chw embraces a variety of community health aides selected trained and working in the communities from which they come. Definition of community health workers chw share. The massachusetts department of public health uses the following functional definition of a community health worker chw.

They may work for pay or as volunteers for a local agency organization or. A community health worker chw is a member of a community who is chosen by community members or organizations to provide basic health and medical care within their community and is capable of providing preventive promotional and rehabilitation care to that community. Community health workers should be members of the communities where they work should be. Other terms for this type of health care provider include lay health worker village health worker community health aide.

Chws bridge cultural and linguistic barriers expand access to coverage and care and improve health outcomes.