Community Networks: Community Health Worker Project

• The unhealthy in Minnesota more often tend to be non-white and poor, according to a report prepared by Wilder Research but commissioned by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation. 

  The Community Health Worker Project is trying to narrow that health gap. The program is designed to remove the cultural and language barriers that separate communities from the benefits of regular and preventative health care.

  Among the challenges: diverse populations including immigrant and refugee groups not easily accessible to health care providers; unsupportable health care costs; and a shortage of registered nurses and primary care physicians. 

  Among the program's supporters and founders are both public and private entities including HMOs, the state Department of Health, health foundations, the Mayo Clinic and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. The program trains persons from diverse backgrounds and underserved communities to work in their own communities.

  At least one study has measured the benefits. In a 2010 study, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, reported that using community health workers had reduced use of urgent care, inpatient and outpatient behavioral health care among a group of 590 underserved men. "The return on investment was $2.28 for every program dollar,'' according to the report.

  There are more than 350 graduates of a certificate program offered by six accredited post-secondary schools. Not known is how many of those graduates found jobs in the fledgling career field.

  Minnesota is unique in that its training program is standardized and embedded in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Another 68 community health workers who were trained on the job before the colleges started offering training are grandfathered in as CHWs.

  Comments

• Rate this idea on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high) according to the following criteria. 

• 1.

  Human Capacity.  How much does this idea:

  * uncover and build on individual-family-community strengths/assets
  * make transparent the processes, structures, policies impacting the individual-family-community?
  * help illuminate influences of social-economic-cultural context for the individual-family-community?

  

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• 2.

  Civic Infrastructure.  How much does this idea:

  * build connections, networks, collaborative structures
  * create community resources, assets, equality of opportunity
  * increase social capital, economic independence and civic engagement

  

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• 3.

  Fairness / Equity.  How much does this idea:

  * have the potential for positively impacting racial, gender or other disparities beyond socio-economic status
  * provide greater and more convenient access to resources as needed along the prosperity continuum

  

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• 4.

  Scope of impact and potential efficiency.  How much does this idea:

  * require accessing multiple policy areas
  * help integrate resources across areas

  

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• 5.

  Rules and regulations.  How much does this idea alter use of or need for rules and regulations?

  

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• 6.

  Incentives / Resources.  How much does this idea:

  * Change incentives for stakeholders
  * Focus resources along a new or different path toward prosperity

  

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• 7.

  Replicability.  How replicable is this idea?

  

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• 8.

  Scalability.  How scalable is this idea?

  

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• 9.

  Ability to impact.  How great is our ability to implement this idea?

  

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• 10.

  Palatability.  How palatable or politically feasible is this idea? 

  

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