260704 A framework for conducting a cost analysis of a community health worker program in Vermont

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 8:50 AM - 9:10 AM

Alberta M. Mirambeau, MPH, CHES , Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Guijing Wang, PhD , Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Laural Ruggles, MBA , Marketing and Community Health Improvement, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, St Johnsbury, VT
J. Nell Brownstein, PhD , Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Diane O. Dunet, PhD , Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
As the practice of integrating CHWs into healthcare teams increases, so does the need to understand the associated costs of implementing CHW programs over time. The Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention undertook a cost analysis of the Community Connections Team (CCT), a program staffed by community health workers in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Housed at the Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, CCT members connect program participants to community resources or social services, such as housing, food, and access to care, with the overarching aim of improving outcomes such as risk behavior reductions, blood pressure control, and quality of life of program participants.

CDC staff collaborated with the Vermont CCT staff to develop a framework for analyzing the program costs. The discussion on the framework will focus on identified cost categories, such as fixed and variable costs, which were drawn from a review of the literature and features of the CCT program as implemented; methods of identifying or estimating these costs; and strengths and limitations of this framework. Specifically, this presentation will describe the development of the framework, present how the framework was utilized to conduct the cost analysis, and illustrate how the framework can be used to conduct cost analyses of community health worker programs.

Learning Areas:
Biostatistics, economics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe how to implement the framework used to conduct a cost analysis of the Vermont Community Connections Team program. 2. Apply this framework to help identify the costs associated with a community health worker program.

Keywords: Community Health Programs, Economic Analysis

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have served as the co-lead of evaluation projects that examine heart disease and stroke prevention programs at the state and community level. I also provide evaluation consultation to federally-funded state programs that are charged with implementing chronic disease prevention and health promotion strategies.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.