Transcultural Community Health Initiative: Community health workers eliminating health disparities

Abstract In Rhode Island, access to health care is widespread compared to other states in the nation. However, health disparities based on race and culture mirror, and in some cases are worse than, those in the rest of the country. Disparities persist despite access to insurance, the availability of health care centers and institutions, and health promotion efforts. The Transcultural Community Health Initiative (TCHI), is a participatory research project initiated at the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown University. The major objective is to decrease health disparities in Rhode Island through developing community health worker (CHW) programs in community-based organizations to enable community-driven solutions to disparities in health. The program will be stand-alone or be part of a career ladder for diverse underrepresented communities. TCHI will contribute to strengthen communities through community capacity building and social mobility enhancement.