Introduction to Key Considerations

All project partners in the Community Health Worker National Education Collaborative (CHW NEC) are at various stages in the implementation and evaluation of their CHW curriculum for their respective institutions of higher education. The role of the Advisory Council is to help advise project partners in these various stages, so that their CHW college-supported educational programs are truly responsive and representative of the past, present, and future of CHWs as well as community and employer needs.

The CHW-NEC recognizes that both paid and volunteer CHWs work throughout the US promoting health and access to care in their communities. Educational programs should strive to serve these existing CHWs and new community members who wish to serve as CHWs

First and foremost, from the viewpoint of the Advisory Council, the integration of CHWs at all levels in program planning, implementation, and evaluation will provide the strongest foundation for creating a truly responsive educational program that builds on the CHWs’ knowledge of the communities where they live and work. Every opportunity in program development and implementation must be taken to ensure the voice of CHWs is not lost.

Overall, the Advisory Council recommends integrating the most promising practice approaches identified by the CHW NEC in order to develop a balanced program responsive to workforce need. The CHW-NEC has identified seven Promising Practice arenas organized around key steps in the development of a CHW program (A-G below). The Advisory Council has identified ten key considerations that fall under these seven areas. The combined list is now presented.

The Key Considerations reported here reflect the views of the CHW-NEC Advisory Council during the life of the CHW-NEC project from 2004-2007. They are intended to provide guidance to individual institutions seeking to create CHW-responsive educational programming. When they were developed they were the Council’s best thinking regarding identified Promising Practices. While these Key Considerations remain highly relevant today it should also be noted that this document is intended to be a “living” document. As such it should be periodically reviewed and revised by CHWs and others working to support them in ensuring that CHW education and capacity building efforts are optimally geared to meet the needs of CHWs in the field.

1 As an emerging force in Public Health, a clear definition of the contemporary roles and competencies of CHWs is still evolving. The CHW-NEC looks forward to leadership from CHWs in the field currently working to develop a formal definition and will share such a definition with all project partners as it is made public.