Working with Community Health Workers to eliminate disparities in diabetes

Community health workers (CHWs) have gained prominence as members of the health care workforce, particularly as a strategy recognizing the influence of an individual's community and environment on health outcomes. CHWs proliferate in communities of racial and ethnic minorities, serving as liaisons between individuals and the health care system. This project evaluates the process of integrating a CHW, educated at the Outreach Worker Training Institute, onto seven community health centers' (CHC) multidisciplinary teams dedicated to reducing health disparities among people living with diabetes. Prior to adding the CHW, each team will have participated for 13 months in a statewide collaborative. Data will be collected at three workshops during the first six months of the project. Collaborative teams will be introduced to CHW curriculum in Workshop One, developing action plans for CHWs working with patients living with diabetes. Workshop Two introduces CHC teams to the CHW model describing the levels of case management taught in the training. Workshop Three provides an opportunity to learn from teams about successful strategies to improve health among patients with diabetes. Focus groups with team members and individual interviews with CHWs will produce a “lessons learned” summary. Supervisors of CHWs, formally trained regarding the role of CHWs, will be interviewed at the conclusion of the first six months. We will present facilitators and impediments to successful CHW integration. Understanding factors that influence successful integration of trained CHW onto established health care teams can inform future interventions, facilitate higher team functioning, and reduce staff burnout and turnover.