In plain words
A community health worker, or CHW, is a trusted member of a local community who is trained to help people navigate health care and social services. CHWs often share a language, culture, or neighborhood with the families they serve. They may help with appointments, benefits, housing, food, transportation, or follow-up after birth. In California, covers some CHW services, and enhanced care management may include pregnant and postpartum people who are at risk. The role overlaps with some and public health nursing work. A mother can ask her provider or local county office whether a CHW program is available to her.
The deeper version
Community health workers are lay health workers with training in outreach, navigation, education, and advocacy. California's Medi-Cal benefit for CHW services and the enhanced care management program offer reimbursement for pregnant and postpartum people with identified risk factors, which created a new funding route for perinatal CHW programs. Evidence from randomized trials of CHW-led postpartum follow-up and home visiting in low-income populations has reported improved attendance and some improvements in maternal mental health, though effect sizes vary by population and program intensity. Workforce standards, training curricula, and supervision models differ across states, and sustaining funding remains a central challenge.
Where it comes up
- Doula coverage under Medi-CalCalifornia: Leave, Money, and Paperwork
- Home visiting programs and public health nursesCalifornia: Leave, Money, and Paperwork
What mothers here say about community health worker
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- California Department of Health Care Services — Medi-Cal community health worker services and enhanced care management, 2023
- American Public Health Association — Community health workers in maternal and child health: policy statement