The term “community health worker,” or CHW, refers to a variety of community health aides that are selected, trained, and work in the communities from which they come. To great success, they are agents of social change, working to improve conditions that impact people’s health and playing roles beyond traditional medicine.
Indeed, a recent study showed that CHWs’ ability to improve population health is “incontrovertible.” But while this umbrella term may be helpful in capturing the sheer breadth and value that CHWs play across the globe, it is indicative of their ever-expanding duties.
As we look to the future of health care, there is renewed urgency to create and implement solutions that intentionally put CHWs at the heart of the development of new interventions and meet the growing responsibilities of CHWs.