Community health workers: social justice and policy advocates for community health and well-being

Am J Public Health. 2008 Jan;98(1):11-4. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2006.100842. Epub 2007 Nov 29.

Abstract

Community health workers are resources to their communities and to the advocacy and policy world on several levels. Community health workers can connect people to health care and collect information relevant to policy. They are natural researchers who, as a result of direct interaction with the populations they serve, can recount the realities of exclusion and propose remedies for it. As natural researchers, they contribute to best practices while informing public policy with the information they can share. In this light, community health workers may also be advocates for social justice.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Community Health Workers / organization & administration
  • Community Health Workers / trends*
  • Consumer Advocacy / trends*
  • Humans
  • Public Health*
  • Social Justice*