A community health worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served, as defined by the American Public Health Association. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison, link, or intermediary between health and social services and the community. This linkage facilitates access to services and improves the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. A community health worker also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy. In the context of environmental health research, community health workers can foster trusting relationships between researchers and the community residents and ensure that research and communication approaches are culturally appropriate.
During this webinar we will hear two co-presentations about NIEHS-funded projects where academics are partnering with community health workers to address local environmental health issues.