"Health is a universal topic although complex to understand because to adequately cover it requires the introduction of an historical context and socio-cultural factors. Health and health inequities touch the lives of millions of people of color across all regions, and a desperate search for innovative ways of reaching them in an affirming and cost effective manner. This search translates into cultural and linguistic programs that empower and foster social change, bringing immense rewards and challenges. Community health workers offer tremendous promise in getting much needed health care to those in most need, allowing for innovative practice in reaching those in greatest need. Health care, health workers, urban communities"--

A practical guide to becoming a community health worker Foundations for Community Health Workers provides a practical and comprehensive introduction to essential skills for professionals in community health roles. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a greater need than ever for compassionate community health workers trained in the core competencies and guiding principles that can empower individuals to lead healthy lives. With an emphasis on social justice, cultural humility, and client-centered practice, this book offers a solid background in professional skills and their application. Real-life case studies and quotes from community health workers illustrate the challenges and successes that learners will face on the job. Readers will also gain skills in conflict resolution, group facilitation, community organizing, trauma support, and more, equipping them to enter the public health field with confidence and safety. Learn about the public health field and the skills needed to become a community health worker Gain skills in interacting with people from diverse backgrounds and circumstances Develop a background in client interviewing, community advocacy, and facilitating community health trainings Read case studies from real community health workers This book, in its updated Third Edition, is a valuable introduction and reference for anyone working toward a career as a community health worker.

Conclusion: Listening to Community Health Workers: Recommendations for Action and Research -- Recruit Strong CHWs and Provide Supportive Supervision -- Emphasize the Humanity of Patients, Quality of Life, and Empathic Care -- Build Solid Relationships across Social Dividing Lines -- Finance the Creation of Secure CHW Jobs -- Strengthen CHW Participation in Processes of Social Change -- Conduct Better Research and More of It -- United, Spider Webs Can Tie Up a Lion -- References -- Index.

Community health workers (CHW) play a vital role in the provision of health-care services in South Africa, and the need for the training and development of these CHWs is obvious and urgent. A major obstacle to the provision of such training is the low level of literacy among CHWs. It is for this reason that Juta Academic has teamed up with a number of key organisations and professionals involved in community health and adult education to develop the Health for All series. With over 150 illustrations, these outcomes-based training materials will develop the health-care knowledge and skills of CHWs and bolster their literacy, language and communication skills. The series can be used for health-care training courses, with each of the six books forming a separate module. The publications can also serve as reference books for use in the field.

Foundations for Community Health Workers Foundations for Community Health Workers is a training resource for client- and community-centered public health practitioners, with an emphasis on promoting health equality. Based on City College of San Francisco's CHW Certificate Program, it begins with an overview of the historic and political context informing the practice of community health workers. The second section of the book addresses core competencies for working with individual clients, such as behavior change counseling and case management, and practitioner development topics such as ethics, stress management, and conflict resolution. The book's final section covers skills for practice at the group and community levels, such as conducting health outreach and facilitating community organizing and advocacy. Praise for Foundations for Community Health Workers "This book is the first of its kind: a manual of core competencies and curricula for training community health workers. Covering topics from health inequalities to patient-centered counseling, this book is a tremendous resource for both scholars of and practitioners in the field of community-based medicine. It also marks a great step forward in any setting, rich or poor, in which it is imperative to reduce health disparities and promote genuine health and well-being." Paul E. Farmer, MD., PhD, Maude and Lillian Presley Professor of Social Medicine in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School; founding director, Partners In Health. "This book is based on the contributions of experienced CHWs and advocates of the field. I am confident that it will serve as an inspiration for many CHW training programs." Yvonne Lacey, CHW, former coordinator, Black Infant Health Program, City of Berkeley Health Department; former chair, CHW Special Interest Group for the APHA. "This book masterfully integrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a CHW through storytelling and real life case examples. This simple and elegant approach brings to life the intricacies of the work and espouses the spirit of the role that is so critical to eliminating disparities a true model educational approach to emulate." Gayle Tang, MSN, RN., director, National Linguistic and Cultural Programs, National Diversity, Kaiser Permanente "Finally, we have a competency-based textbook for community health worker education well informed by seasoned CHWs themselves as well as expert contributors." Donald E. Proulx, CHW National Education Collaborative, University of Arizona

Over a decade ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified a severe shortage of health care workers in the global health workforce (WHO 2006), with rural and low-income settings being disproportionately affected (Global Health Workforce Alliance, 2013). Simultaneously, emerging evidence suggested that the deployment of community health workers (CHWs) in these areas was helping to increase access to basic health care, particularly for underserved population groups (Lehman et al., 2007). More than a decade later, as highlighted in particular by the Ebola outbreaks in Sub-Saharan Africa and the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, CHWs have become an essential part of an increasingly stretched, yet interconnected, global health workforce"-- Provided by publisher.

Public Health Practice in Australia offers a thorough introduction to what public health practitioners do, and the 'effort' involved in improving the health of the public. This second edition has been fully revised and updated in line with current policies and practice. It highlights common threads that underlie seemingly disparate activities, ideas and entities that comprise the organised effort of public health practice. The emphasis is on securing and maintaining the conditions in society that enable people to live healthy and fulfilling lives. The authors examine the impact of historical, social, economic, environmental and political factors on the health of individuals, communities and populations. Taking an applied, multidisciplinary approach, they outline the strategies and tools that public health practitioners use to improve health outcomes: identifying infrastructure needs in the workforce, public and private sector organisations, and in regulation; gathering, analysing and using health data; applying interventions in health policy, provision of health services and health promotion. Public Health Practice in Australia draws on current international and Australian research and the interwoven case studies make the theories and concepts come alive. It is a valuable resource for students and professionals across the health sciences including public health, medicine, environmental health, health promotion, health information management and health administration. 'The book is impressive in the completeness, clarity and consistency of the material covered, and for the way in which many of the theoretical issues are related to current practice. An extremely useful and valuable reference for both students and practitioners alike.' - Thomas Tenkate, Environmental Health

This title is directed primarily towards health care professionals outside of the United States. Since the first edition of this book was published, there has been considerable change across public health, health visiting and community nursing. The positive emphasis on developing and describing all services in relation to their purpose and client/user group is reflected in this second, emphasizing multi-disciplinarity and service focus rather than individual professions, whilst retaining the essential emphasis on policy and practice. Familiar occupational titles, such as health visitor, community development worker, midwife or nurse are still used within the chapters, recognizing the continued division of labour and major contributions to public health made by specific grass roots occupations. This second edition has been completely reorganised, expanded and updated to keep up with the rapid progress across the field of community public health. ‘Key issues' boxes identify major topics within each chapter Discussion questions stimulate debate Boxes present information in a reader friendly, memorable format Each chapter provides extensive research, conceptual critique, information about sources, and resources for further information. Seven totally new chapters on Partnership Working; Parenting and Family Support; Complex Community-based Initiatives; Leadership through Alongsideness; Quality in a Public Health Service and Immunization Four chapters completely rewritten: Health Needs Assessments; Collaborating for Health; Breastfeeding and Public Health; Safeguarding Children All remaining chapters have been substantially updated.