December 29, 2023- Cleveland Clinic announced plans to expand its Center for Community Health Workers by doubling its staff over the next month.
Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Community Health Workers is one of the first programs of its kind at an academic medical center, and the only one to be led by a certified community health worker.
Community health workers collaborate with patients who experience barriers to accessing medical care and daily essentials such as food, housing, employment and childcare. They play a valuable role as facilitators, translators and advocates, connecting individuals to needed resources.
Cleveland Clinic’s community health workers are part of the clinical teams within emergency medicine, primary care and women’s health.
Established in November 2021 by a multimillion-dollar gift from the Jones Day Foundation, the program continues to sustain and grow with support from philanthropic gifts of all sizes. The program has trained 10 community health workers and aims to recruit an additional 10 people from the community to meet the needs of more patients.
Read More in The Journal of Healthcare Contracting.