Resources for Community Health Workers, Community Health Representatives, and Promotores de la Salud

Updated Dec. 14, 2020

Community health workers (CHWs)—also known as community health representatives and promotores de la salud—provide critical services to communities disproportionately impacted by public health threats including COVID-19. This site provides CHWs with resources to support their work, as well as information for their employers to better ensure the safety of CHWs in the community. State and local health departments also may find these resources beneficial to share with local programs and funding recipients. Resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), federal agencies, and external organizations are included to ensure CHWs and their employers have easy access to essential information in one location.

Links
Personal Protection and Safety Information to keep CHWs safe—including avoidance and protection strategies and steps when someone is diagnosed with COVID-19	Adapting Practices for COVID-19 Telehealth and in-person risk assessment tools for CHWs and client engagement
Stress and Coping Self-care and mental health resources for CHWs during challenging times	Training and Support Webinars, modules, and training resources focused for CHWs
Communication Tools Posters, handouts, and graphics for CHWs to share with clients	Information for Employers Policies, safety procedures, and the role of CHWs during the pandemic—including the latest information on contact tracing—for employers

As a critical worker, you are closely interacting with the members of the communities you serve. You can better protect yourself and your clients if you

know how to provide services safely during home visits to prevent the spread of COVID-19;
are ready to provide support to a client who is sick with COVID-19; and
can help prevent spread by being aware of steps to take when someone is diagnosed with COVID-19.

Personal Protection

Whenever you are conducting home visits or other community outreach, be sure you are aware of the available resources to help prevent yourself from getting sick.

Resources from CDC
Handwashing
Protect Yourself When Using Transportation
Social Distancing
Use of Masks to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19

If Someone is Sick

Providing support to your clients with COVID-19 is crucial for slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Share and discuss these resources with your clients and their families when there has been a COVID-19 infection in the household. These resources are also available if you or someone within your family is sick with COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19. Know how to protect people with increased risk factors, who may need extra precautions, as well.

Resources from CDC
Caring for Someone Sick at Home
Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Home
When to Quarantine
When You Can be Around Others After You Had or Likely Had COVID-19

Adapting Practices for COVID-19

As a community health worker, you are vital to your community. Adapting how you serve clients during the COVID-19 pandemic will protect you and those around you. You may want to talk to your employer about the availability of telehealth or video teleconferencing tools or review tips for adapting home visits to ensure that protective measures are put in place. Helping your clients connect to telehealth resources for other health care services is another great way you can support them.

Resources from CDC
Interim Guidance for Implementing Home Care of People Not Requiring Hospitalization for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Using Telehealth to Expand Access to Essential Health Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic
What In-home Social Service Providers and Clients Need to Know about COVID-19

External links: Content describing non-CDC tools on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to indicate endorsement, actual or implied, of the tools. Additionally, information on this site is provided “as is,” for users to evaluate and make their own determination as to its effectiveness.

Other federal and state agencies
COVID-19: Protecting Yourself during a Home Visitexternal icon – Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Telehealth: Delivering Care Safely During COVID-19external icon – Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Telehealth.hhs.govexternal icon – Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Stress and Coping

Balancing work, family, and other responsibilities is already a challenge. You can’t care for others if you don’t care for yourself first. With the addition of the current COVID-19 public health crisis, the stress and anxiety can be overwhelming. Taking time for self-care, stress prevention, and healthy coping strategies is critical for you to do your job effectively and safely.

Resources from CDC
General Public: Care for Yourselfpdf icon
Working Adults: Care for Yourselfpdf icon
Clinicians: Care for Yourselfpdf icon
Family Caregivers: Care for Yourselfpdf icon
Parents: Care for Yourselfpdf icon
Coping with Stress
COVID-19 Parental Resources Kit
Healthcare Personnel and First Responders: How to Cope with Stress and Build Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic

External links: Content describing non-CDC tools on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to indicate endorsement, actual or implied, of the tools. Additionally, information on this site is provided “as is,” for users to evaluate and make their own determination as to its effectiveness.

Other federal and state agencies
Mental Health and Coping during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemicexternal icon – Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health – Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation during an Infectious Disease Outbreakexternal icon – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Safety from Violence and Abuseexternal icon – Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Disaster Distress Helplineexternal icon – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Private sector, non-governmental organizations and academia
How Right Nowexternal icon – NORC at the University of Chicago and the CDC Foundation
Stress and Anxiety Management for Community Health Workers during Coronaviruspdf iconexternal icon – Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health

Training and Support

Having access to the most up-to-date training is essential for the health of your community members. Lack of knowledge and skills related to COVID-19 can endanger you and those you serve, and it can also put your organization at risk. Understand your role during this public health emergency.

Resources from CDC
Community and Faith-Based Organizations
Community Health Worker Resources
Engaging Community Health Workers to Support Home-based Care for People with COVID-19 in Global Low-Resource Settings

Private sector, non-governmental organizations and academia
CHW Training and Professional Developmentexternal icon – Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers
Community Health Workers (CHWs) and the Coronavirusexternal icon – National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW)
Community Health Workers: Social First Responders in the COVID Pandemicexternal icon – Penn Center for Community Health Workers
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Trainingexternal icon (includes contact tracing) – Public Health Foundation (TRAIN)

Communication Tools

Educating your clients about the coronavirus is essential to combat COVID-19. Sharing resources that help your clients understand the coronavirus and how it spreads empowers them to take precautions, helps them know where to find information about support services, and what to do if they are sick. Consider having the resources below on-hand when meeting with your clients or send the links via email or text if engaging virtually.

Resources from CDC
Toolkit for Community and Faith-Based Organizations
Communications Toolkit for Migrants, Refugees, and Other Limited-English-Proficient Populations

Other federal and state agencies
Coronavirus.govexternal icon COVID-19 Communication Toolsexternal icon – Texas Department of Health
Communication Resourcesexternal icon – Colorado Department of Health

Private sector, non-governmental organizations and academia
COVID-19 Communication Networkexternal icon – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
COVID-19 Community Health Worker Communication Resourcesexternal icon – Visión y Compromiso

Information for Employers

As an employer of community health workers (CHWs), you play an integral role in keeping your CHW workforce and the clients they serve safe, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. By incorporating preventive measures, you can better ensure the health and safety of CHWs as they perform essential services in communities. You can also more effectively protect your organization from liability and risk. Begin by recognizing that your business has its own needs and priorities when it comes to adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic and that there are resources to support you. You may first need to find information on how to safely reopen your business, either in-person or by adapting it for virtual operations. Then, you may benefit from understanding the roles of CHWs during COVID-19 by watching CDC’s recent webinar recordingand finally you can review steps on how to protect your workforce and how to monitor and adapt your policies as new information and data become available.

Resources from CDC
Contact Tracing Information and Toolkit (English and Spanish)
Guidance for Reopening Buildings After Prolonged Shutdown or Reduced Operation
Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers Responding to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), May 2020
Resuming Business Toolkitpdf icon
When and How to Wash Your Hands
Workplace Strategies to Mitigate Community Transmission and Maintain Continuity of Public Health Operations

Other federal and state agencies
CHWs and COVID – Resource for CHW Employersexternal icon – Massachusetts Department of Health
Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19pdf iconexternal icon – Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)

Private sector, non-governmental organizations and academia

Case Study: Role of Community Health Workers in Addressing Inequities and Systems Transformation during COVID-19 and Beyondpdf iconexternal icon – American Diabetes Association
The Role of Community Health Workers as First Responders in the COVID-19 Outbreakexternal icon – American Diabetes Association

Last Updated Dec. 14, 2020

Content source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Division of Viral Diseases