Community Health Workers
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Overview
Health & Medicine has a long-standing commitment to the Community Health Worker (CHW) model and has been a key player in the formation and implementation of CHW research and legislation at the state level, as well as supporting various CHW initiatives and collaborations. Health & Medicine has supported the development of multiple surveys and reports that assess and promote the work of Community Health Workers at the local and state level, including Illinois’ and Cook County’s Common Indicator Report, and an evaluation of CHW philanthropic funding trends in Cook County. Health & Medicine is also proud to co-chair the Illinois Community Health Worker Association’s (ILCHWA) Workforce Development Committee.
Health & Medicine began our Community Health Worker (CHW) Learning Collaborative Initiative in 2018 with funding from two West Suburban local foundations. The West Suburban CHW Initiative serves to address the ongoing local need to increase awareness of health and human service resources, connect people to needed services, and promote community health workforce development. In coordination with the Sinai Urban Health Institute, the CHW Initiative currently works with five organizations to train CHWs; support their supervisors; and lead a learning collaborative that strengthens the skills, referral networks, and knowledge of those involved. With the long-term goal of creating communities with accessible, high-quality health and human services for all, we serve as the backbone and key convener for this initiative. In 2022, we launched the CHW Learning Lab, a quarterly learning collaborative opportunity open to CHWs across the Western Suburban region. The Learning Lab offers an additional space for expanding CHW referral networks and cross-sector relationship building as well as additional professional development opportunities.
Also in 2022, Health & Medicine expanded the CHW learning collaborative model in partnership with the Cook County Department of Public Health. In this initiative, we also serve as the backbone and key convener for monthly CHW and quarterly CHW Supervisor learning collaborative meetings for 12+ community-based organizations across suburban Cook County.
We are thrilled to share the results of the tireless work of the CHWs and the learning collaborative model that supports their efforts. As we forge ahead into new and exciting projects that help us advance beyond a “pilot” phase, take a look at our evaluation reports from the first four years:
West Suburban CHW Initiative Year 1 Report
West Suburban CHW Initiative Year 2 Report
News
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Lessons from the Frontlines: The Evolving Role of Community Health Workers
March 2, 2022As the Community Health Worker (CHW) Pilot Project in West Suburban Cook County continues into its fourth year, Health & Medicine Policy Research Group and Sinai Urban Health Institute are pleased to release the pilot’s Year 3 Evaluation Report. We are thrilled to share the results of the tireless work of the CHWs and the […]
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Workforce Policy Analyst Testifies Before Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Health Equity and Quality Subcommittee
December 9, 2021On Wednesday, December 8th, Angela Eastlund, Workforce Policy Analyst, testified before the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Health Equity and Quality Subcommittee in support of advancing the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce through voluntary certification and Medicaid reimbursement strategies. Below is a portion of the testimony, which you can read in full here. […]
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Health & Medicine Supports Efforts of Local Foundations to Fund West Suburban CHWs
January 29, 2019On January 22nd, Community Memorial Foundation and Healthy Communities Foundation announced that they jointly invested $535,000 in a pilot program to engage a community health worker (CHW) network in the Western Suburbs. Funding will be used to support Community Health Workers at Aging Care Connections, Alivio Medical Center, BEDS Plus, Healthcare Alternative Systems, and Mujeres Latinas en Acción. Health and Medicine will coordinate the program which will be evaluated by the Chicago-based Sinai Urban Health Institute.
Publications
- APHA CHW Newsletter Winter 2022
- West Suburban CHW Initiative Year 3 Report
- West Suburban CHW Initiative Year 2 Report
- West Suburban CHW Initiative Year 1 Report
- CHW Fact Sheet - Illinois Health Care and Human Service Reform Act
- IL CHW Policy Forum Handout - Jan 2022
- Testimony to Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Health Equity and Quality Subcommittee
- Testimony on HB 5448 to Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services
- Deploying Community Health Workers for Critical COVID-19 Contact Tracing
- Policy to Advance Community Health Workers in Illinois: Contact Tracing & COVID-19
