Dear Community Health Workers,

We are an interdisciplinary research team from the University of Maine System working with the Maine CHW Initiative Advisory Team to support the CHW workforce. Our survey is a part of a project funded by the University of Maine System, the Maine CDC and the Partnership for Children’s Oral Health.

We are inviting all Community Health Workers working in Maine to participate in a research project about the needs of the CHW workforce and the challenges facing CHW’s in their work with individuals, communities and health systems. Your knowledge and expertise about the real-life challenges facing CHWs and their communities can help inform the work of the Maine CHW Initiative. We hope our findings will increase understanding of the important role of CHW’s in healthcare systems and communities and improve CHW career pathways and professional development opportunities.

You can participate in this study if you identify as a Community Health Worker or have done a similar job (e.g. Community Health Outreach Worker, Peer Navigator) or volunteer work in Maine for more than six months.

●  What is a CHW? Check out this video.

●  Not sure if that’s you? Check this list to see if your job is a match!

If you choose to participate, you can complete the survey online, on a mobile device, or over the phone. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes. At the end of the survey you will be asked if you want to participate in an optional in-depth interview lasting 60-90 minutes. Your participation is voluntary, and your responses are confidential.

To compensate you for your participation in the survey, you will receive a $20 gift card. Participants in the optional in-depth interview will receive an additional $50 gift card.

For more information about the study, including the consent form and survey, please visit our website.  If you prefer to complete the survey over the phone, call Professor Kate Darling at 207-262-7982.

We look forward to hearing from you!