The Community Health Worker Research & Resource Center (CHW-RCC) at NYU Langone focuses on key action areas to help individuals and organizations refine their approach to the everchanging, yet vital landscape of community health work.

Document Repository

The planned Document Repository will be a living library of templates and resources for organizations to access as they launch or refine community health worker (CHW) programs. CHW-RRC collects, curates, and makes available tools, guides, and other materials to ensure the success of CHW programs. Documents in the repository include hiring and interview guides, training resources, surveys, data collection forms, participant education modules, consent forms, and grant proposals.

Technical Assistance and Evaluation

Building on our experience in implementing and managing a variety of CHW programs in various settings and a strong reputation for conducting rigorous program evaluations, the CHW-RRC offers evaluation expertise and consultation related to CHW programs at any point in the lifecycle of a project, including the following:

• developing culturally tailored CHW interventions for immigrant and limited-English-proficient populations
• implementing patient navigator and lay health worker programs in diverse community-settings
• identifying key research questions
• building strong evaluation plans, employing quantitative and qualitative techniques
• developing screening and survey tools to ensure using robust and reliable measures
• providing technical assistance for data analysis and reporting results

Community Health Worker Think Tank and Annual Summit

To strengthen capacity and increase knowledge at the local level, we plan to bring together the staff of CHW initiatives across New York City to discuss the current landscape, develop partnerships, explore sustainability models, and advocate for resources. In addition, the CHW-RRC is committed to convening an annual meeting of diverse colleagues from across the United States and key global leaders to discuss developments in the field and identify and prioritize best practices and critical unanswered questions.

CHW Innovations Summit

On November 11 to 12, 2020, the CHW-RCC hosted its inaugural CHW Innovations Summit, "Making Models Last—Current and Future Sustainability for the Community Health Worker Workforce." View the summit agenda. More than 350 people from across the United States attended our three panels, featured below on our NYU Langone Health YouTube channel:

Panel 1: Dollars and Sense: Current Trends in CHW Payment Models (VIDEO)

Panel 2: Navigating Upstream and Downstream: The Role of CHWs in Chronic Disease Management and Prevention (VIDEO)

Panel 3: Public Systems Leading the Way: CHW Initiatives at the Nexus of Public Health and Health Systems (VIDEO)

These panels discussed current funding mechanisms to support the growing CHW workforce, spanning from Medicaid reimbursement to private funding. CHWs provide a vital service and show enormous passion and commitment to their work and their patients, yet these contributions often go unrecognized. Conference attendees and panelists overwhelmingly agreed that CHWs deserve more recognition for their outstanding work and that collective action must be taken to support this invaluable workforce.

Contact Us

For inquiries about the Document Repository, technical assistance and evaluation, and other CHW-RRC action areas, please contact Dina Pimenova, MPH, senior project coordinator, at dina.pimenova@nyulangone.org.