Community Health Worker Model: A Pathway to Equity

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The County of San Diego’s General Management System (GMS) centers on the values of integrity, equity, access, belonging, excellence, and sustainability with the core principle being centered on community engagement for the people we serve. Aligned with this approach, the County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities (HSEC) launched the Community Health Worker (CHW) Workforce Engagement (CHW-WE) program in June 2022, focusing on providing culturally and linguistically responsive community engagement to communities across the County that have sociodemographic characteristics that are associated with long-standing health disparities. This program focuses on building and tapping into an experienced County CHW workforce to build community capacity through a range of activities such as tailored community outreach, community education, navigation, and advocacy. The goal of the program is to focus on upstream solutions to address inequities in the region and increase prevention through engagement, equity, and locally tailored strategies, which are at the center of this approach. These strategies are aimed at reducing health disparities in the region and improving health outcomes.