Working with Community Health Workers for Improved Clinical Care: Overview of Development and Outcomes of a Unique Project ECHO Series

Authors: Brendan Prast, Emily Follo, Tina Holt, Renee Wolff, Marin Johnson, Grace Lapika, Kelly Barnes

Maine has welcomed many new immigrants, but they often struggle to get the healthcare they need. Community Health Workers (CHWs) help bridge this gap, but they’re still new to the MaineHealth system. To help care teams work better with CHWs, a special training series called Project ECHO was created. It included input from community members and CHWs and helped increase care teams’ knowledge and confidence. After 19 sessions, participants said they learned a lot and felt more prepared to work with immigrant communities. The team now plans to expand this training across the state.