Community Health Workers

CHASM works closely with national, state, and local agencies and community-based organizations across the country to advance the profession of Community Health Workers (CHW).

"A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. A community health worker also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy." - American Public Health Association, Community Health Workers. Published 2009.

Listen to this excerpt from WHQR's Cape Fear Rundown, where Camille Mojica interviews Abdul Hafeedh Bin Abdullah about Community Health Workers at Sokoto House.

CHWs as a lifeline - Bernice B. Rumala, Teresa Campos-Dominguez, Rumana S. Rabbani, Sergio Matos.

The following links contain more information and examples of CHW in action.

• My Journey as a CHW, Journal of Ambulatory Care Management [PDF] - Abdul Hafeed bin Abdullah
• It's In My Veins: Exploring the Role of an Afrocentric, Popular Education-Based Training Program in the Empowerment of African American and African Community Health Workers in Oregon [PDF] - Arika Bridgeman-Bunyoli, MPH, BA; S. Renee Mitchell, MBA; Abdul Hafeedh bin Abdullah, BA, CHW; Ty Schwoeffermann, BA; Toliver Phoenix, CHW, AA; Cat Goughnour, MSc, BA, CHW
• Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere (STRYVE) [PDF] - Noelle Wiggins, Sharon Vanace, Archana Ranjith, Abdul Hafeedh bin Abdullah, 2017; CDC
• At Sokoto House in Wilmington, Community Healing Is Led By the Community [PDF] - Wilmington Star News
• Global and Local Community Health Workers as a lifeline for communities facing inequities in the midst of COVID-19 and beyond [PDF] - Bernice B. Rumala, Teresa Campos-Dominguez, Rumana S. Rabbani, Sergio Matos

CHW Affiliates & Training

National

• American Public Health Association (APHA)
  - Community Health Worker section
  Abdul Hafeedh bin Abdullah, Co-Chair, Policy Committee
  Rumana S. Rabbani, Co-Chair, Policy Committee
  - National CHW Racial Equity Summit, 2022
  Rumana Rabbani - Principal Investigator, co-Chair
  Abdul Hafeedh bin Abdullah, co-Principal Investigator, co-Chair
• National CHW Association
  - CHW Identity, Leadership, & Organizational Capacity, Johnson & Johnson Grant
  Abdul Hafeedh bin Abdullah, (one of 9) Principal CHW
• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
  CDC Initiative to Advance CHWs in Violence Prevention
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars program
  vRumana Rabbani, RWJF HPRS, cohort 4, Principal Investigator
  Abdul Hafeedh bin Abdullah, co-Principal Investigator
  CHW Sustainable & Equitable Payment, 2014-present
• Common Indicators, Advisory Board
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
  Rumana Rabbani, Evaluator/Data Analyst
• Community Health Worker Southeast Regional Network
  Rumana Rabbani, Summit Planning Committee

State and Local

• NC CHW Association
  Rumana Rabbani - Co-chair
  Abdul Hafeedh bin Abdullah - Advisory Board
• NC Community Health Worker Work Group: NCAHEC, NCDHHS, ORH, OMH
• NC CHW Clinical Integration workgroup
• NC ECHO trainings
• NC Advanced Medical Homes
• CHW Readiness tool
• CHW Roles
• ECHO trainings
• Equity and Inclusion, MAHEC
• Presenters, CHW NC Summit, Oct 2021
• Racial Equity & CHW Cultural trainings