Did you know...

Research has found that Community Health Workers can help increase the health, well-being and quality of life in needed communities, while reducing the caseload of the limited number of healthcare professionals. 

Essentially, incorporating CHWs into the healthcare team frees up resources and enables healthcare professionals to focus on more complex patients and issues.

Because a community health worker is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served, patients engaged by CHWs are more likely to keep appointments, comply with prescribed regimens and receive timely follow up or well care.

The end result is high-quality health care available to thousands of people every day. 

About This CHW Answer Session:

In this interactive QA session, you'll learn:

  1. How our CHW Training Program works
  2. How the CHW role is currently defined
  3. How institutions are incorporating trained CHWs to improve outcomes and reduce costs

With a Community Health Worker certification, individuals with a high school diploma or higher can serve as a link between a community and its health and social service systems.

OSU Tillamook Extension

ann-custer-220px (1).jpgAnn Custer is supporting the College of Public Health and Human Sciences in building capacity of the current and future public health and human sciences workforce to meet the needs of individuals, families, and communities.  Her work focuses on managing a portfolio of professional development offerings related to public health and human sciences.  It involves collaboration with a variety of internal and external partners, including faculty, industry, and governmental agencies.

Training staff to serve as community health workers (CHWs) is a smart, strategic investment with real benefits for the populations we serve.