Project Information

1) Uncover the experiences and professional development needs of community health workers

2) Identify barriers to and opportunities for the sustainable implementation of the CHW model in Maine healthcare systems

3) Build the CHW workforce through professional development and implementation recommendations. 

Access to education, affordable housing, quality employment and social connectedness are recognized social determinants of health (SDOH’s). However medical care and insurance reimbursement models are individual-focused.

 This mismatch between community-level drivers of health status and the  individualized incentives of medical systems has left Maine’s rural communities doubly vulnerable: they face disproportionate health risks and also limited healthcare access. Tested around the world, the Community Health Worker (CHW) model presents an opportunity to address persistent health inequities and economic development in rural communities. 

CHWs bridge the gap between vulnerable rural communities and healthcare systems, and developing a sustainable professional CHW workforce builds local entry- level healthcare jobs with opportunities for growth. This community-engaged qualitative research will identify strategies for building the CHW workforce and developing structural interventions to address systemic rural health inequities in Maine.

What systems barriers or gaps in care do CHW’s regularly encounter?

How do CHW’s experience moral injury, moral distress, and/or burnout? 

How do they balance multiple roles and responsibilities within communities and health systems? 

What intraprofessional and interpersonal communication challenges do they face with patients and care teams? 

What issues of legitimacy, authority, and recognition do they encounter in care teams and healthcare organizations? 

How can CHW’s contribute to system and community-level transformations? 

What are their professional development and social and emotional support needs? 

What skills and experiences do CHWs use in their work? 

How do they balance multiple roles and responsibilities within communities and health systems? 

What interprofessional challenges do they face with patients and care teams? 

What organizational structures (e.g. referral systems, regional care teams) are needed to effectively support CHW’s?

What opportunities and challenges do health systems administrators see for implementing CHW certification or integrating CHW’s into dental and medical care delivery?