Role of Community Health Workers 

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CHWs in public health
CHWs in health care

According to the American Public Health Association, a community health worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who has a close understanding of the community served and is a trusted liaison, and link between health care, social services and the community. They facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. 

CHWs in public health

CHWs contribute to core Local Public Health roles and foundational public health responsibilities including community engagement, outreach, data collection, education, and connecting individuals and families to essential resources. CHW services are cross-cutting and adaptable to a wide range of programs and services.

Watch: Community Health Worker Impact in Local Public Health

Produced in partnership between the Minnesota Department of Health, Nicollet County Health and Human Services, and Washington County Community Services/Public Health, this short video describes, in their own words, who CHWs are and how they make a difference in local public health. Hear how CHWs help agencies provide services that are community-centered, culturally responsive, and grounded in trust.

CHWs are already advancing public health goals in communities across Minnesota. They:

• Build trust and engagement: CHWs bridge the gap between public health systems and the communities they serve, ensuring that programs, messages, and services are culturally and linguistically appropriate.
• Address social and economic barriers: CHWs help individuals and families navigate systems, connect to resources, and address the social determinants of health.
• Improve access and outcomes: By meeting people in homes, neighborhoods, and community settings, CHWs support prevention, early intervention, and better management of chronic conditions.
• Enhance local capacity: CHWs provide valuable insights that inform public health assessments, outreach planning, and program evaluation.
• Advance health equity: Lived experience and trusted relationships enable CHWs to identify inequities and co-create solutions with communities.

Contributions in Local Public Health

CHWs are public health professionals, integrated within public health teams and help ensure services reflect the community’s needs and strengths. Examples of contributions CHWs can play in Local Public Health includes:

System navigation and connection to resources

• Connect individuals to public programs, community resources, and basic needs such as food, medications, and transportation
• Help clients complete processes to obtain insurance, financial assistance, or other benefits

Health education and direct services

• Provide health promotion and chronic disease management education
• Teach individuals self-advocacy skills and promote preventive health behaviors

Home visiting and outreach

• Act as cultural advisors and liaisons between families and health or human service teams
• Conduct home visits for screenings, education, resource referral, and follow-up

Public health and emergency response

• Support vaccine and testing clinics
• Assist at Family Emergency Response Centers
• Serve as trusted messengers during health emergencies and recovery efforts

Resources

If your agency is exploring ways to incorporate CHWs into your workforce, these resources can help:

• University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Systems: Capacity Building in Local Health Departments: Community Health Worker Toolkit (2024) (PDF). Guidance on hiring, onboarding, supervision, and sustainability.
• Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance: Community Health Worker Roles in Core Local Public Health Services (2018) (PDF). Case studies and practical lessons from LPH agencies across Minnesota.

CHW roles in chronic disease prevention and management

CHWs help prevent and manage chronic conditions by building trusted relationships, supporting healthy behaviors and self-management, and connecting people to healthcare, community resources, and social supports. CHWs strengthen team-based care through culturally responsive and patent centered care. As members of interdisciplinary teams, CHWs:

• Improve access to services
• Improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery
• Increase patient health knowledge and self-sufficiency
• Positively impact health outcomes

Roles

The core roles of CHWs remain consistent across diseases and care settings. CHWs:

• Identify and address barriers that affect health
• Provide culturally responsive health education
• Promote, encourage, and support positive, healthful self-management behaviors
• Help people get the services and follow-up care they need to control their condition
• Coordinate care and communicate with providers and care teams
• Connect clients to clinical care, community resources, and evidence-based programs
• Strengthen individual and community understanding of chronic conditions
• Perform outreach, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy

Resources

For more information on CHW roles in chronic disease prevention and management, visit:

• CDC Community Health Worker Resources by Health Topic