Let’s bust 3 Community Health Worker myths. 💥
1. 🌐 Community → Not just about geography.
Someone with diabetes will connect better with a CHW who lives with diabetes and shares the same diet & culture… even if they don’t share the same zip code!
2. 🏥 Health → Not just limited to healthcare.
CHWs help patients navigate tough barriers like housing, food insecurity, and transportation. Addressing these social, environmental and personal factors is often the key to enabling better health.
3. ⏰ Worker → Not just a job, but a calling.
A dedicated CHW will be ready to check in on weekends & evenings, adapt to each patient’s changing needs, and, most importantly, care.
At InquisitHealth, we call these CHWs (a) matched with patients based on shared lived experience (b) who address both SDoH & non-SDoH barriers, and (c) who engage with empathy: “Peers.”
But more than just a name change, the most exciting is how health plans + health systems are now utilizing this empathy-first workforce to extend the reach of their existing clinical teams to better engage their sickest, improve their healthcare experience and help them live healthier lives.
We are just beginning to appreciate the true potential.