If your doctor said, “There are comorbidities that will affect your outcome,” many people would not understand what that means or what they need to do to change their outcome. Fortunately, Virginia has an important group of people making healthcare services more accessible and understandable: Community Health Workers.
This week happens to be Community Health Worker (CHW) Awareness Week, a first-ever national observance to raise awareness about the role of CHWs in the healthcare system and their impact. These caring and committed professionals – also known as outreach workers, family advocates and promotores de salud and other titles – are making a positive mark in Virginia and beyond.
CHWs are not clinicians, nor are they social workers. They are one part advocate, one part coach, and one part teacher. Most importantly, as they are acting in all of these parts, CHWs are considered a trusted source of information. CHWs serve as….
Visit the Virginia Mercury to read the full article: Community health workers: behind-the-scenes heroes