Knowledge and Attitudes of Potential Community Health Worker Employers: Findings from the State of Arkansas, USA.

Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 7600747 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-3610 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00945145 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Community Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Amsterdam : Springer
Original Publication: New York, Human Sciences Press.

Community Health Workers*/education ; Health Equity*; Arkansas ; Attitude ; Humans ; Workforce

Community health workers (CHWs) are critical to health equity efforts, but sustaining CHW programs is challenging. Understanding stakeholders' knowledge and attitudes about CHWs can inform strategies to advance this important workforce. The authors implemented an online survey of potential CHW employers to learn their perceptions of CHWs' roles, outcomes, and abilities to affect important health outcomes, and of key issues that affect CHW employment. The survey was disseminated statewide to a diverse group of stakeholders working in healthcare in Arkansas. A total of 151 surveys were collected and included in the analysis. The organizations represented by respondents primarily included state and local agencies and clinics, followed by healthcare systems. The main professional roles of survey respondents were administrators and clinicians, followed by healthcare staff. Over 90% of respondents agreed that CHWs have the ability to conduct community outreach, serve as a liaison, navigate health systems, provide coaching support, and participate in care coordination. Over 90% of healthcare administrators, clinicians, and policymakers agreed that standardized training and a clear definition of role and scope of practice are important to CHW employment. However, almost two-thirds of respondents' organizations were not employing CHWs, adding to previous research which has primarily focused on CHW employers' attitudes. Understanding and addressing attitudes of those who lack experience with CHWs can help to identify actions needed to promote and increase adoption of CHWs. The authors share how they are using these data to engage stakeholders in decision-making and adoption of CHWs in their state.
(© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

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NU58DP006556 United States CC CDC HHS; U54TR001629 United States TR NCATS NIH HHS; U54MD002329 United States MD NIMHD NIH HHS

Keywords: Community health workers; Health equity

Date Created: 20211124 Date Completed: 20220502 Latest Revision: 20220502

20221213

10.1007/s10900-021-01043-7

34817754