Community health officials and their responsibilities
- Community health workers (CHWs) have a close understanding of their community. Public health care workers (CHWs). This relationship allows them to act as a conduit between health/social care and the population in order to promote service access and improve the quality and cultural expertise of the service.
- Community health workers are also developing their individual and community capacity with an improvement in health awareness and autonomy through a number of programs, such as advocacy, community engagement, informal guidance, social support and advocacy.
The community health worker’s responsibilities may include:
- Ensuring capability and access to services, including health insurance, food, housing, quality healthcare and information, are funded by individuals, family groups and communities
- Facilitate communication and empowerment of the consumers with healthcare and social service systems
- The assistance to social and health care programs is culturally appropriate and sensitive to their community in their provision
- Encouraging people to consider and develop plans for improving health and wellbeing
- Helping develop awareness and social capital to promote healthy habits and lifestyle choices;
- Providing health knowledge under culturally relevant terminology and concepts;
- Connecting individuals to health care/social welfare providers
- Provide casual guidance, encouragement and follow-up;
- Advocacy on urban health needs
- Providing health services, such as blood pressure control and first aid
- To make home visits to mentally sick patients, pregnant women and nursing families, people at high risk of health complications and elderly people;
- Translating and interpreting for individuals and health/social care services Community health workers have several titles, based on where they live, who they work with and what they do. Popular titles include fitness mentor, neighborhood health trainer, family advocate, health instructor, liaison officer, advocate, outreach specialist, peer counselor, patient navigator, health interpreter and public health assistant. Community health workers are also referred to as health promoters or health promoters in Spanish-speaking communities.
- The role of the community health worker originated as a societal position, assigned by and accountable to the people of the community. Advocates and advocates have devoted their time and talents to ensuring that local residents receive the health information, support and services they need.
credits: johnsardona
