E1.01 - Oral: Leading with Community Health Workers: Training and Supporting a Sustainable Workforce for Health Equity

Brief Abstract Summary: Community health workers (CHWs) are essential public health team members with deep community connections, supporting health education, disease prevention, and resilience. CDC's Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCR) initiative trained over 2,000 CHWs to address COVID-19 and other health topics, making 1.2 million health and social service referrals and reaching over 20 million people. This session will highlight CCR’s implementation experiences and workforce development strategies such as train-the-trainer models, CHW supervision, and CHW's 10 core roles. We will explore organizational policies, recruitment and retention, certification, and communities of practice to enhance CHW capacity. Interactive scenarios will demonstrate CHW contributions to public health, and participants will leave with strategies for integrating CHWs into their organizations, recruiting and supporting them to thrive in their roles, and advancing community health and equity.

Detailed abstract description: Community health workers (CHWs) are defined as “frontline public health workers who are trusted members of and/or have an unusually close understanding of the community served” (American Public Health Association, 2009). Through their unique ability to form deep community connections and leverage local resources, CHWs are highly valued members of public health teams that support community health, well-being, and resilience. Ensuring a sustainable and well-supported CHW workforce across diverse populations is crucial to priorities such as disease prevention, health education, and emergency preparedness.

In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCR) initiative, funding 67 recipients across the United States to provide training and employment opportunities for CHWs responding to COVID-19 and building community resilience. During this three-year initiative, over 2,000 CHWs received training on health topics such as COVID-19, mental health, healthy living, and health equity. CHWs addressed chronic conditions (eg, behavioral health, diabetes, heart disease) and social determinants (eg, housing, food access, transportation) among communities most at risk for poor health, making over 1.2 million health and social service referrals. Altogether, CHWs reached over 20 million people with health education and messaging.

This session will describe CCR’s implementation experiences and successes, with emphasis on workforce development strategies that facilitate continuous learning, effective supervision, and leadership in the CHW workforce. We will discuss organizational policies that support a positive work environment, including establishing a clear definition of CHWs, incorporating established CHW core competencies, and navigating facilitators and barriers to implementation of CHW programs. We will also explain how train-the-trainer models, certification opportunities, and communities of practice can enhance CHWs’ ability to grow, innovate, and thrive in their roles.

Interactive, community-based scenarios will highlight the benefits and impact of CHW involvement in health education and promotion, as well as illustrate CHWs’ contributions to the public health workforce. During the session, participants will work together to share knowledge and explore ways to support and integrate CHWs into their organizations as partners or staff. By the end of this session, participants will gain a deeper understanding of 1) actionable steps to initiate or strengthen relationships with CHWs across different communities; 2) promising practices for recruiting, hiring, and onboarding CHWs; and 3) pragmatic strategies for creating an environment that provides CHWs with the training and leadership necessary to thrive in their roles and advance efforts toward improved community health and equity.