Promoting The Health Of The Community

Community health workers (CHWs) are an increasingly important member of the healthcare and public health professions who help build primary care capacity. Yet, in spite of the exponential growth of CHW interventions, CHW training programs, and CHW certification and credentialing by state agencies, a gap persists in the literature regarding current CHW roles and skills, scope of practice, CHW job settings, and national standards. This collection of contributions addresses this gap by providing information, in a single volume, about CHWs, the roles CHWs play as change agents in their communities, integration of CHWs into healthcare teams, and support and recognition of the CHW profession. The book supports the CHW definition as defined by the American Public Health Association (APHA), Community Health Worker Section (2013), which states, “A community health worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served.” The scope of the text follows the framework of the nationally recognized roles of CHWs that came out of a national consensus-building project called “The Community Health Worker (CHW) Core Consensus (C3) Project”. Topics explored among the chapters include: Cultural Mediation Among Individuals, Communities, and Health and Social Service Systems Care Coordination, Case Management, and System Navigation Advocating for Individuals and Communities Building Individual and Community Capacity Implementing Individual and Community Assessments Participating in Evaluation and Research Uniting the Workforce: Building Capacity for a National Association of Community Health Workers Promoting the Health of the Community is a must-have resource for CHWs, those interested in CHW scope of practice and/or certification/credentialing, anyone interested in becoming a CHW, policy-makers, CHW payer systems, CHW supervisors, CHW employers, CHW instructors/trainers, CHW advocates/supporters, and communities served by CHWs.

Providing a systematic examination of community-based health promotion, this text offers nine case studies which illustrate what community-driven health promotion means in practice evaluates its potential for achieving improvements in the health of local populations & presents strategies for the future.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

How do communities protect and improve the health of their populations? Health care is part of the answer but so are environmental protections, social and educational services, adequate nutrition, and a host of other activities. With concern over funding constraints, making sure such activities are efficient and effective is becoming a high priority. Improving Health in the Community explains how population-based performance monitoring programs can help communities point their efforts in the right direction. Within a broad definition of community health, the committee addresses factors surrounding the implementation of performance monitoring and explores the "why" and "how to" of establishing mechanisms to monitor the performance of those who can influence community health. The book offers a policy framework, applies a multidimensional model of the determinants of health, and provides sets of prototype performance indicators for specific health issues. Improving Health in the Community presents an attainable vision of a process that can achieve community-wide health benefits.

This book articulates a clear four-phase framework for planning, creating, implementing, and evaluating multilevel community health promotion interventions that target individual, physical, and social environments. It breaks down each of the four phases into detailed yet easy-to-follow steps that review important procedures, like identifying a behaviorally based problem within a community, identifying the underlying behavioral determinants to be targeted by the intervention, selecting intervention techniques that target those determinants, and evaluating outcomes to modify the intervention as needed. Guidelines for engaging community members in the design process, building teams, developing a manual of procedures, conducting pilot studies, and other important intervention components are also reviewed. Also reviewed are instructions for applying this framework to the adaption of existing interventions to new contexts. Feature boxes highlight key information and practical takeaways for students and interventionists. Detailed case examples that highlight various health promotion efforts bring the four-phase framework to life, including a recurring example about reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in middle-school students that follows the process from beginning to end.

Taking a unique look at health promotion and aging in Canada, this edited collection uses the action framework in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion to explore the factors and issues related to the health of older adults. The book is organized around the five action areas for health promotion: building healthy public policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and reorienting health and social services. Adhering to the holistic approach that health in older age involves physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being, this comprehensive collection covers a wide range of interventions that are designed to benefit and protect the aging population’s health, quality of life, rights, and dignity, while building intergenerational solidarity and collaboration. Readers will learn about aging from a health promotion perspective; the context, environment, and issues related to older adults in Canada; as well as best practices in health promotion, public health, and the care of older adults. Promoting the Health of Older Adults is an invaluable resource for both graduate and undergraduate students in gerontology, health promotion, nursing, social work, and related fields. FEATURES - Considers the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for health promotion and aging - Provides an up-to-date profile of older adults in Canada and current/future trends in aging and health, including the use of new technologies and policies and practices in health promotion, public health, and other disciplines - Includes a wealth of pedagogical features, such as learning objectives, critical thinking questions, a glossary, and online supplementary materials

In her latest book, Dr. Clark applies a holistic, wellness perspective to community health, focusing on community strengths and resilience - such as positive nutrition, healthy environment, fitness, and self care skills - rather than risks and disease. Practitioners and students will find this book a practical and comprehensive resource for creating community health programs and promoting wellness among individuals and groups. Special features include: A step-by-step guide to planning, implementing, and marketing community health programs; Strategies for wellness nutrition, fitness, stress management, and smoking cessation; Strategies for preventing violence in the schools and larger community; Tips on sharpening communication skills with individuals and groups; and Models of culturally sensitive health promotion programs.

Health Behavior, Education, & Promotion