Community Health Workers: The Evidence

There is ample evidence showing the effectiveness and impact of CHWs across the US and globally. Below are a few resources highlighting that evidence. Contact CCHA for more information or evidence on a particular topic.

Community Health Workers Improve Patient Outcomes

This infographic outlines CHW competencies and how the inclusion of CHWs as a part of the health care system improved health outcomes for several groups.

Community Health Workers Help Meet National Health Goals

The Community Preventative Services Task Force recommends integration of CHWs for cancer screenings, diabetes management and prevention and to address cardiovascular disease. See the evidence here.

How Community Health Workers can Help Improve Outcomes, Cut Costs

This article published in the American Journal of Public Health systematically reviews literature about CHWs and finds, “Interventions by CBHWs appear to be effective when compared with alternatives and also cost-effective for certain health conditions, particularly when partnering with low-income, underserved, and racial and ethnic minority communities. 

Why Community Health Workers Are So Important

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials created this brief of the research about CHW effectiveness, saying, “The number of research articles on the impact of CHW-led interventions and programs has escalated dramatically over the past fifty years, and the scientific rigor of study designs has improved notably.

Making the Business Case: Community Health Workers Bridge Health Care Gap

This brief video from the CDC makes the business case for why the community health worker model can be used in efforts to effectively bridge the health care gap.