Giving Compass' Take:
- Arielle Zionts examines how community health worker programs in South Dakota are bridging gaps in health care access facing underserved populations.
- How can donors best support programs that employ community health workers to overcome barriers to care for underserved populations in rural communities?
- Learn more about key issues in health and how you can help.
- Search our Guide to Good for nonprofits focused on health in your area.
What is Giving Compass?
We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us.
Kelly Engebretson was excited to get fitted for a prosthetic after having part of his leg amputated. But he wasn't sure how he'd get to the appointment. Nah Thu Thu Win's twin sons needed vaccinations before starting kindergarten. But she speaks little English, and the boys lacked health insurance. William Arce and Wanda Serrano were recovering from recent surgeries. But the couple needed help sorting out their insurance and understanding their bills. Engebretson, Win, Arce, and Serrano were fortunate to have someone to help. They're all paired with community health workers through a community health worker program in Huron, a city of 14,000 people known for being home to the state fair and what's billed as the world's largest pheasant sculpture.
Three workers, employed by a community health worker program at the Huron Regional Medical Center, help patients navigate the health system and address barriers, like poverty or unstable housing, that could keep them from getting care. Community health workers can also provide basic education on managing chronic health problems, such as diabetes or high cholesterol.
The Benefits of Investing in Community Health Worker Programs
Community health worker programs are spreading across the U.S., including in rural areas and small cities as health providers and state and federal governments increasingly invest in them. These programs gained attention during the coronavirus pandemic and have been found to improve people's health and access to preventive care while reducing expensive hospital visits.
These programs can address common barriers in rural areas, where people face higher rates of poverty and certain health problems, said Gabriela Boscán Fauquier, who oversees programs at the National Rural Health Association.
The workers are "an extension of the health care system" and serve as a link "between the formality of this health care system and the community," she said.
The community health worker programs are often based at hospital systems or community health centers. The workers have a median pay of $23 an hour, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Patients are typically referred to community health worker programs by clinicians who notice personal struggles or frequent visits to hospital emergency departments.
Read the full article about community health worker programs by Arielle Zionts at Medical Xpress.