{"id":152905,"date":"2021-12-09T12:50:12","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T22:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=152905"},"modified":"2021-12-23T10:36:39","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T20:36:39","slug":"600k-for-chw-public-health-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/12\/09\/600k-for-chw-public-health-support\/","title":{"rendered":"$600K award bolsters public health support of community health workers"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"person<\/p>\n

A $600,000 grant will help the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa Office of Public Health Studies <\/a>(OPHS<\/abbr>) build on its efforts to strengthen communities against COVID-19 and reduce health disparities. The three-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC<\/abbr>) awarded through the Hawaiʻi<\/span> State Department of Health (DOH<\/abbr>) will provide technical assistance and program evaluation for Community Health Workers for Public Health Response and Resilient Communities, a CARES<\/abbr> Act initiative.<\/p>\n

“We believe that the collaborative strategies and activities planned for this grant are critically needed to support the training, deployment and engagement of community health workers (CHW<\/abbr>s) statewide,” said Associate Professor Catherine Pirkle<\/strong>, OPHS<\/abbr> project lead at the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health<\/a>. ”Our team is pleased to provide our evaluation expertise to support DOH<\/abbr>.” <\/p>\n

OPHS<\/abbr> researchers have a long-standing dedication to community health workers. In the past four years, they have conducted several research evaluation projects<\/a> to support statewide efforts to bolster the community health worker workforce. This includes projects on combating high blood pressure and prediabetes, decreasing high blood pressure through self-monitor blood pressure support, engagement of CHW<\/abbr>s to promote community clinical linkages, a scoping review describing CHW<\/abbr> roles and responsibilities in Hawaiʻi<\/span>, and a CHW<\/abbr> document library.<\/p>\n

CHW<\/abbr>s are well-positioned to reach communities, especially those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Their intervention efforts can improve uptake and access to health care services (e.g. testing, contact tracing, health behavior education), and improve communication between community members and health providers. <\/p>\n

This funding is a component of an overall $2.2 million U.S.<\/abbr> Center for Disease Control grant<\/a> awarded to DOH<\/abbr> to train, deploy and engage CHW<\/abbr>s as part of its public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this initiative, CDC<\/abbr> plans to highlight the integral role of CHW<\/abbr>s in increasing resiliency, and response efforts in the hardest hit communities.<\/p>\n