Community health workers—known by myriad titles, from health extension workers to village volunteers—form a critical part of the frontline health workforce in many low- and middle-income countries. So what kind of community and health system support improves community health worker (CHW) performance? This very question was debated by around 100 individuals representing … [Read more...] about Supporting Community Health Workers is Critical – But Who, What and How?
CHW Role
Sustaining the Impact of Community Health Workers: Evidence from Health System Assessments
Countries seeking to expand health services to the community-level to ensure equity of access to care frequently turn to community health workers (CHW) as an essential expansion of the health team. A variety of approaches to training, hiring and supporting community health workers have been implemented by countries, and there are many important lessons learned to be … [Read more...] about Sustaining the Impact of Community Health Workers: Evidence from Health System Assessments
Enhancing training of community health workers in DRC through effective management
Evidence of the need to scale up the number of frontline health workers in developing countries abounds throughout sub-Saharan Africa, as described in the recent post in this blog by Avril Ogrodnick of Abt Associates. Yet training new health workers is not sufficient, in itself, to sustainably address the crisis – governments must also invest in providing management support to … [Read more...] about Enhancing training of community health workers in DRC through effective management
How to save 3.6 million children each year? Invest in community health workers
The following is a Q&A between Julia Bluestone of Jhpiego and the Frontline Health Workers Coalition and Dr. Henry Perry of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on a recently released report examining community health workers’ effectiveness in saving lives and improving health. The post was originally published in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s … [Read more...] about How to save 3.6 million children each year? Invest in community health workers
Backpacks That Save Lives? You Bet!
Summer is winding down. Store shelves are stocked with notebooks and pencils instead of sunscreen and beach balls. And for most kids, the essential back-to-school purchase is the almighty backpack. If you're going to carry books and lunch to school, you'd better have something durable -- and fashionable! -- strapped on your shoulders. You may be surprised to learn that a … [Read more...] about Backpacks That Save Lives? You Bet!
