In virtually every community in our country, it is often the work of
a Community Health Worker (CHW) that unlocks the potential for a child,
a family, a senior, a farmworker, and millions of others, to access a
healthy life.
This tool isn’t meant to be another generalized, awareness-raising
gesture for CHWs. It’s meant to spotlight where CHWs are effectively
integrated into their communities while being paid in sustainable ways so
these models can continue to be funded and expanded.
Our teams at Sanofi, NationSwell, Atlas Clarity, and the National
Association of CHWs (NACHW) saw a gap, a story to tell. We embarked
on a collaborative journey to seek these models of CHW partnership and
integration, with our differing perspectives and burning questions.
We asked: What works in communities? What works for CHWs? How might
funders, partners, and governments—each of us—better support CHWs
while also honoring the self-determination of this unique workforce? And
we curated our findings, with replicable examples and insights to build on.
In this report, we’ve laid out what we heard and what we believe are some
of the best actions you can take for improved community health powered
by CHWs who are sustainably paid for their work, and we’re looking forward
to using this tool as a springboard for discussion across sectors.
Appreciation to all CHW and non-CHW contributors for sharing their
knowledge and stories.
We do hope you’ll find value.
P.S. If you’re new to understanding the critical work of CHWs, check out the
supplementary PDF for definitions, ROI, research links, and more.
