Project Summary:
Numerous studies document the disproportionate burden of poor health that persists among racial and ethnic minority populations in Wisconsin and Milwaukee, in part due to a lack of representation in the health care system. As the healthcare industry experiences a severe shortage of workers, the Community Health Workers (CHWs) model grows.
CHWs are trusted community members who help people navigate complex health systems and address social determinants of health (SODH) to improve health and social outcomes. CHWs effectively improve patient outcomes while also reducing costs. UniteWI trains CHWs to serve people with chronic health conditions such as asthma, cardiac issues, cancer, diabetes, and/or who may be pregnant, who are often BIPOC.
CHWs provide group education and individual care coordination, tracking client outcomes via the Pathways Community HUB database for which UniteWI is a certified administrator. The HUB database tracks health and SODH issues and links to payment to client outcomes and not activities, known as the value-based outcome model. UniteWI recruits, trains, and advocates for the CHW workforce in Wisconsin. UniteWI does not employ CHWs, but helps place trained CHWs in community-based employers – health care systems, nonprofits, and/or other organizations that serve vulnerable populations. With the expanded CHW workforce, we have identified the need for institutionalizing assessment and supervision protocols within these employers.
With AHW support, we will create a replicable CHW supervisor training program that balances supportive mentorship of CHWs with an assessment of their educational and clinical performance, leading to improved CHW employee satisfaction and retention, career progression for CHWs, and a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis demonstrating positive CHW impact on community and client health. Lessons learned from this pilot project in Milwaukee will be applied across Wisconsin in pursuit of health equity.