Empowering Community Health Workers to Achieve Health Equity

A CHW is a frontline health worker who is a trusted member and/or has a close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the CHW to serve as an essential link between health and social services and the community to facilitate access and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. 

Sector-based workforce development

To create sustainable CHW jobs at clinical, community-based, and academic partner organizations throughout Indiana. 

CHW professional development

That is accessible and affordable, ensuring core competencies and sector-specific skillsets needed and identified by partner organizations.

Rigorous research and evaluation

To support evidence-based policy for formal integration of CHWs at a systems-level and improved public and private reimbursement mechanisms for all CHW services on levels that are commensurate with a living wage. 

Related Publications

  1. Rodriguez, N. M. (2022). Community health workers in the United States: Time to expand a critical workforce. American Journal of Public Health, 112(5), 697–699. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306775
  2. Rodriguez, N. M., Ruiz, Y., Meredith, A. H., Kimiecik, C., Adeoye-Olatunde, O. A., Kimera, L. F., & Gonzalvo, J. D. (2022). Indiana community health workers: Challenges and opportunities for workforce development. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 117. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07469-
  3. Community Health Workforce Development Institute, Purdue University. (2020). Indiana community health worker needs assessment report.

News

40 ideas: Significantly expand community health workers in central Indiana. Indianapolis Business Journal. 2021


Other Research Projects

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