Using Community Health Workers to Prevent Infectious Diseases in Women1

Abstract

Community workers have a long history of promoting comprehensive services, but using them to deliver infectious disease prevention services in the United States has not been well studied recently. When to use community workers and the skills required vary depending on the environment, culture, and context in which they are used. In some environments, where healthcare services may be difficult to access, community workers may be involved in various stages of infectious disease prevention: general promotion, specific prophylaxis, early diagnosis and treatment, limiting disability, and rehabilitation. In this context, community workers may be junior level officers or volunteer healthcare workers who receive appropriate training for functioning at the required stage. In other environments, community workers function as promotoras or health promoters. In this context, promotoras typically emerge from naturally occurring networks and focus on fostering behavior change through role modeling, group activities, skill building, and goal setting. Promotoras work in small groups and build strong collaborations with schools, churches, clinics, and local departments. Through these activities, promotoras facilitate links between patients and the healthcare system and minimize dropouts from required treatment regimens. Promotoras and community healthcare workers are trusted by the communities they serve and provide cost-effective services to persons whose infectious diseases might otherwise go untreated.