What's New | September 12, 2012

Workforce Development and the Role of Community Health Workers

The composition of the health care workforce continues to evolve to meet the needs of patients within a changing health care environment. Policies and programs designed to leverage the unique skill sets of community members and health workers can play an important role in the development and expansion of the health care workforce.

The featured Innovations describe the development of a new staff position for community members who assist health care teams in primary care settings and after hospital discharge, and a consortium in Minnesota that developed a scope of practice, a statewide curriculum, and a certificate program for community health workers.

The featured QualityTools include a toolkit to help rural communities evaluate opportunities for developing a community health worker program, and an instruction manual for training community health workers.

Featured Innovations:

• Alliance Creates Community Health Workers’ Scope of Practice, Training Curriculum, Certificate Program, and Reimbursement Strategy, Expanding Their Integration Into the Health System to Reduce Health Disparities

• Clinics and Hospitals Use Trained, Certified Community Members to Screen and Support Primary Care and Postdischarge Patients, Reducing Physician Visits and Costs

Featured QualityTools:

• Community Health Workers Toolkit
Developed by Rural Assistance Center

• The Community Health Worker's Sourcebook: A Training Manual for Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke
Developed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Featured Articles:

• Public Health Workforce Faces New Challenges and Opportunities

View Other Issues

Also in This Issue:

Innovations >

• Community Pediatricians Use Software to Diagnose and Manage Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Leading to Improvements in Symptoms

• Separate Teen and Parent Group Classes Combined With Pediatrician Support Reduce Body Mass Index and Improve Self-Image of Overweight Girls

QualityTools >

• Focus on ADHD Software
Developed by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

• SuperTracker: My foods. My fitness. My health.
Developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture