Addressing Chronic Disease through Community Health Workers: A Policy and Systems-Level Approach

A CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention-published policy brief. Provides guidance and resources for integrating CHW into community-based efforts to prevent chronic disease. Provides general information on CHW in the U.S., then details the value and impact of CHW in preventing and managing a variety of chronic diseases, including heart disease and stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Provides descriptions of CHW chronic disease programs, examples of state legislative action, recommendations of policies for building an integrated and sustainable CHW workforce, and resources that can assist state health departments in working with CHW.