Community Health Worker (CHW) Hub

What is a CHW?

A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker that aims to improve patient care by addressing social determinants of health. CHWs act as liaisons between the community and the healthcare system by providing additional resources and support to patients outside of their regularly scheduled treatment. CHWs are often members of the community that they serve which gives them a better understanding of the community’s needs and ways to empower patients.

Learn more about Henry Ford Community Health Workers by watching this short video!

What do CHWs do?

• Connect patients to community resources
• Care coordination, case management, and system navigation
• Help patients follow health recommendations
• Provide coaching, social support, and culturally-appropriate health education
• Advocate for individuals and communities
• Build individual and community capacity
• Collect data and report outcomes
• Provide direct service such as basic screening tests and basic services
• Perform individual and community assessments
• Build community partnerships, trust, and goodwill
• And much more

What Role Do CHWs Play at Henry Ford Health?

Patients’ social, economic, and environmental circumstances can impact the care they receive and their health outcomes. Some patients may experience challenging circumstances that prevent them from receiving the care they need and can contribute to poor health outcomes. Henry Ford Health CHWs help patients address these circumstances by providing resources and support. Our CHWs empower patients to overcome obstacles they are facing in both their health and in life. The CHWs at Henry Ford are trained by the Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance (MiCHWA) and supervised by a Masters-prepared public health professional. The CHW Hub acts as the anchoring unit for integration and deployment of CHWs throughout the entire system.

Community Health Workers can be found in several Henry Ford Health departments including:

• Academic Internal Medicine

• Comprehensive Care Center

• Diabetes Care Connection

• Henry Ford Cancer

• Home Bound CCC

• Safety & Security

• Women’s Health/Women-Inspired Neighborhood (WIN) Network

• And more!

Want to Get In-Touch with the CHW Hub?

Contact Program Manager Courtney Latimer at CLATIME1@hfhs.org