The RADx-UP Community Health Worker Symposium highlighted the essential role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in promoting health equity.
The symposium took place on Wednesday, May 24, and was organized by the RADx-UP Engaging Hispanic/Latino/Latinx Populations and Building Community Capacity and Impact working groups.
CHWs, also called promotoras, are trusted frontline healthcare providers, who also belong to the communities they serve.
The important role of CHWs is not new — they have been working and promoting health around the world for years. But the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the essential role that CHWs play in health care.
The event featured presentations on the importance of CHWs as well as two panel discussions on the topics of engaging Hispanic/Latino/Latinx communities and sustaining CHWs through policy. Presenters included CHWs who shared their experiences in the field and suggestions for improvements.
This symposium was bilingual with interpreters for English and Spanish speakers.
Because CHWs are members of the communities they serve, they are often critical links between a community and health care systems. CHWs also reduce health disparities by making information culturally relevant and understandable, promoting trust of health care systems, and empowering community members to act for better health.
“Community Health Workers can be critical members of research teams and provide benefits to community-engaged research projects,” said Emily Finley, program coordinator for Community Campus Partnerships for Health. “They promote equity, diversity, and inclusion across the research ecosystem.”
Engaging Hispanic/Latino/Latinx Communities
The Engaging Hispanic and Latinx panel featured four promotoras, Lorena Godinez, Nayeli Garcia, Anabel Serna, and Edny Gonzalez. It was moderated by Rosy Bailey of the Hispanic Services Council. The 90-minute session was entirely in Spanish with English interpretation offered. The promotoras answered questions about their daily work, how they became community health workers, and what policy changes would sustain their important work in their communities.
Much of the discussion focused on the need for CHWs to have a seat at the table in policy development as well as the need for better pay and education opportunities.
Sustaining Community Health Workers Through Policy
Members of this panel discussion were CHWs from across the country, from North Carolina to Utah. They included Kevin Nguyen, Angela Bates, Senge Ngalame, and Vinitra Murray. The panel was moderated by Brandy Farrar from the American Institute for Research.
Panelists described their day-to-day as a CHW. They also discussed ways to improve and better support CHW work. The solutions discussed ranged from policy advocacy to nursing education.
Nguyen described how he and CHWs in Utah raised awareness about CHWs and their connection to underserved communities in the early days of COVID-19. Through this raised awareness, Utah legislature unanimously passed a bill to support CHW certification program.
"People started to recognize the ‘incredibleness’ of what we can do," Nguyen said.
Many states do not have a CHW payment program or resources to provide payment. The panelists discussed how fair compensation would result in more CHWs and promote health equity. Read more about policy recommendations for supporting CHWs.
The meeting concluded with a video that showcased audio clips of CHWs sharing their insights and advice for the field.
The symposium served as a kick-off for the newly-formed RADx-UP Community Health Worker Community of Practice. Its purpose it to share resources and advance the topic of community health workers in equitable COVID-19 testing and health equity. The LinkedIn Group is now open to the public.
Additional CHW Materials
For CHW’s
- El Sol: COVID-19 Comic Toolkit
- Community Health Worker (CHW) Core Consensus Project
- Center for Community Health Alignment: Community Health Worker Model Best Practice Toolkit for Designing, Implementing and Showing Impact
- National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN) Community Health Worker Tool Kit
About CHW’s
- Community Health Workers Beat the Virus
- Community Health Workers and other Lay Health Communicators – an Overview for Researchers
Research briefs
For Leaders and Policymakers
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PDF List of RADx-UP APHA Presentations
Download and carry this guide to the RADx-UP APHA presentations.
