As 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 learning collaborative model that supports their efforts. In addition to quantitative data we have collected throughout the pilot initiative, this year’s report contains some exceptional qualitative deep dives into the impact of CHWs in their communities.

As we forge ahead into new and exciting projects that help us advance beyond a “pilot” phase, take a look at the report that includes some of these highlights from 2021:

1. CHW client interviews: How did CHW support in addressing the social determinants of health impact the lives of their clients in the community? See examples of the depth and quality of CHW impact through client interview stories in this year’s report.
2. Increased number of referrals year over year: As CHWs grew their knowledge of available resources and expanded their relationships with other organizations (in the learning collaborative and beyond) in their communities, CHWs provided a growing number of referrals to clients in each of the three years of the pilot initiative.
3. Pandemic response: CHWs continue to play an integral role in mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on communities. In addition to other forms of outreach, as trusted sources of information in their communities, CHWs engaged in critical support around vaccine education and accessibility in 2021.

Read the full report here!