Great Rivers United Way’s Community Care program leverages Community Health Workers (CHWs), who bring a culturally competent, person-first approach to addressing health inequity. CHW backgrounds range widely, each leveraging their own experiences to provide trauma-informed and holistic care to the individuals they serve.
What is a CHW?
According to the American Public Health Association, “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. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison / link / intermediary between health / social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.”
Great Rivers United Way is one of just three validated Core Competency training sites in Wisconsin. For more information, visit our Community Health Worker Training page.
Care Coordination Agencies
Great Rivers United Way partners with agencies and organizations throughout the region to employ CHWs, and implement the Community Care program. Our current Care Coordination Agencies (CCAs) are: