Health care for the homeless and community health workers: A guide to integrating CHWs into clinical practice

In the summer of 2015, the National HCH Council completed a three-year demonstration project funded by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) which measured the impact of integrating Community Health Workers (CHW) into Health Care for the Homeless clinical practice. The preliminary findings demonstrate an extraordinary benefit to employing a CHW, improving the experience of both HCH clinicians and their clients. That the majority of the participating HCH programs retained their CHWs after the project ended is a testament to its success. In order to perpetuate this accomplishment, the National HCH Council developed a comprehensive course for HCH programs interested in integrating CHWs into their practice. This online course details the roles and responsibilities of CHWs, hiring and supervising CHWs, and integrating and supporting CHWs in HCH settings, in addition to other resources. The content was principally informed by the experiences and lessons learned from the study participants. In this workshop, two CHWs and one administrator/supervisor will share their knowledge and on-the-ground experience with the CMMI project. Their expertise will provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and challenges of integrating CHWs into HCH programs, as well as tangible strategies for overcoming barriers. This interactive workshop will also include an overview of the online course and other available resources.