About Us
Improving opportunities for health by bringing health and social care to our communities will require a multi-disciplinary workforce including doctors, nurses, social workers, community-based organization leaders and community health workers (CHWs). CHWs have been long recognized for their ability to address the needs of the community beyond traditional healthcare, where they are professional members of the health and social care team by supporting the health and well-being of many communities.
What is a Community Health Worker?
A community health worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an intimate understanding of the community served. This relationship enables the CHW to serve as the bridge or link between health and social services to facilitate better access to care by improving the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
The Community Health Worker title is an umbrella term that includes a range of names…
- Community Health Representative
- Promotora De Salud
- Care Coordinator
- Peer Advocate/Leader
- Patient Navigator
- Outreach Navigator
- Neighborhood Health Advocate
- Family Support Worker
- Community Connector
Community Health Worker roles include…
- Cultural Mediation
- Health Education and Information
- Service Coordination and Navigation
- Coaching and Social Support
- Advocacy
- Individual and Community Capacity
- Direct Service
- Individual and Community Assessments
- Outreach
- Evaluation and Research
Community Health Workers work in many settings…
- Community Organizations
- Hospitals
- Local Health Departments
- Refugee Camps
- Faith-based Organizations
- Homeless Shelters
- Food Pantries
How did the Mecklenburg County CHW Initiative Begin?
Community health workers have received national recognition for reducing health disparities in underserved and minority communities across the United States. Recently, CHWs have played a vital role on health and social care teams while combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. Their role and rapid response highlight the many ways CHWs help serve our communities as it relates to addressing high priority public health issues and health care needs of the Charlotte-Metro community. As a result, the Mecklenburg County Public Health Department established the CHW Initiative to better align all community health worker initiatives in Mecklenburg County through the assembly of community stakeholders that are deeply invested in the CHW profession.
Mecklenburg County’s Community Health Worker Initiative (CHWI) envisions to create a sustainable infrastructure that supports and values CHWs in Mecklenburg County. It works internally and externally to support CHW programming by:
1. Leading and Coordinating Collaborative Groups
2. Facilitating and Coordinating Trainings and Technical Assistance
3. Participating in Policy Development and System Change Management
4. Implementing and Directing Programs and Strategies using the CHW Model (Internal Service Only)
Contact
CHWI@MeckNC.gov
Latest News
New Partnership Brings Support to Maternal and Child Health in Mecklenburg County (mecknc.gov)
Community Health Worker Stakeholder Advisory Collaborative
Using the collective impact framework, Mecklenburg County Public Health Department serves as the backbone organization of the Mecklenburg County Community Health Worker Stakeholder Advisory Collaborative (SAC). The SAC is a collaborative effort driven by community partners and stakeholders in Mecklenburg County, whose mission is to strengthen the CHW workforce in an evidence-based manner through collaboration, education, and mentorship. In 2021, member organizations were selected from across the County to join the SAC. The membership consists of those organizations that employ CHWs and those deeply invested in the CHW workforce development in Mecklenburg County, NC. The member organizations represent the following areas: health systems, safety-net providers, academia, managed-care and community-based organizations, government, and public health. The SAC meets monthly on the fourth (4th) Wednesday of every month.
In March 2022, the SAC finalized overarching objectives for its member organizations to achieve by 2025.
1. Convene key decision makers in a collaborative forum to contribute to organizational planning, development, and direction.
2. Develop a collaborative plan that involves mentorship and training for CHWs in Mecklenburg County.
3. Develop a shared data governance plan to better align initiatives and programs to demonstrate CHW impact in Mecklenburg County.
Join Us!
If you are a key decision maker or facilitator of an organization that employs CHWs, has an established CHW program and/or are deeply invested in the CHW profession (by providing priority funding, education, and/or subspeciality trainings) in Mecklenburg County,
please click here to complete an interest form..
Once an interest form is complete, the CHWI Program Manager will assess your membership eligibility and reach out to you directly to invite you as a partner or member organization to collaborative meetings and other events related to the CHWI.
Benefits of Becoming a Partner or Member Organization
• Opportunities to help sustain the SAC
• Opportunities to participate and lead SAC meetings
• Opportunities to promote and share organizational events and initiatives
• Opportunities to participate in focus groups and contribute to published reports
• Opportunities to be featured or highlighted in any content released by the CHWI
Queen City Community Connect Coalition
The Queen City (QC) Community Connect Coalition was established in 2022, with the purpose of supporting the work of the SAC and to unify CHWs across organizations in a collaborative forum by creating an environment that equips and empowers those to serve Mecklenburg County communities. For more information about the work of the Coalition or if you are interested in joining the effort, please contact CHWI@MeckNC.gov.
The Coalition meets bimonthly on the first (1st) Tuesday of every other month. If you are a CHW, aspiring CHW, and/or CHW ally- please plan to join us and share this information!
So, you want to start a Community Health Worker (CHW) program? Great! This toolkit will help you learn more about developing and implementing CHW programs in your organization.
CHW Resource Center:
These resources will help you learn more about community health workers and their impact on a national, state, and local level.
Please note, the resources listed are not all-encompassing but rather a starting point to better understand the workforce and pioneer initiatives that center and value CHWs.
A Guided Journey: Support For New And Expecting Mothers
A healthy pregnancy is one of the many ways to promote healthy families. Early and regular prenatal and postpartum care is an important step in protecting the health of a mother and child.
Background
In 2021, ‘A Guided Journey’ was launched as part of Mecklenburg County’s priority funding to address health disparities. Using the Community Health Worker (CHW) model, the program will ensure women are linked to prenatal and postpartum care, and other supportive services as an effective strategy to improve perinatal health disparities and outcomes in Mecklenburg County.
Program Overview
‘A Guided Journey’ (AGJ) connects pregnant women and those up to 90 days postpartum with a CHW who can help identify individual needs by: 1) establishing a medical home; 2) connecting families to support services that address social determinants of health (i.e., food assistance, transportation, housing, etc.) and long-term case management; and 3) providing education and support to promote healthy lifestyles and infant health.
Eligibility
• Must reside in Mecklenburg County
Service Location:
Care Ring
| 601 E. 5th Street, Charlotte, NC, 28202
| Sherresa Falls, M.S., R.N.
Director of Maternal Child Health SFalls@careringnc.org
|