Incorporating community-engaged research into a statewide community health worker-driven infrastructure for addressing health disparities in public health emergency
Abstract Background Emergency response plans in unprecedented public health events prioritize community-based interventions for addressing health disparities. Due to their close connections and shared values with community members, positioning community health workers (CHWs) as leaders is a promisin...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Azeez B. Aina Antoniette Holt Ashley H. Meredith Carey Frazier Carla Harrison Celeste Fonseca-Tames Fransesca Lynnet Jasmine D. Gonzalvo Karina Buenavides Kourtney A.D. Byrd Lance Boozer Latrice Ligon Maeve Companik Margarita Hart Megan Conklin Natalia M. Rodriguez Olivia Zarate Olunda Hunt Rebecca Ziolkowski Samantha Daniels Charleston Sanders Shamika Crowder Yumary Ruiz Omolola A. Adeoye-Olatunde |
| author_facet | Azeez B. Aina Antoniette Holt Ashley H. Meredith Carey Frazier Carla Harrison Celeste Fonseca-Tames Fransesca Lynnet Jasmine D. Gonzalvo Karina Buenavides Kourtney A.D. Byrd Lance Boozer Latrice Ligon Maeve Companik Margarita Hart Megan Conklin Natalia M. Rodriguez Olivia Zarate Olunda Hunt Rebecca Ziolkowski Samantha Daniels Charleston Sanders Shamika Crowder Yumary Ruiz Omolola A. Adeoye-Olatunde |
| author_sort | Azeez B. Aina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Emergency response plans in unprecedented public health events prioritize community-based interventions for addressing health disparities. Due to their close connections and shared values with community members, positioning community health workers (CHWs) as leaders is a promising strategy for addressing health disparities. Hence, prominent public health institutions in Indiana co-developed a CHW-driven statewide infrastructure, the “Indiana Health Equity Council Community Health Worker Model” (Model) to serve as a practical framework for building a resilient and responsive public health system that strengthens the community health workforce and addresses health disparities. Objective The objective of this study was to leverage the statewide CHW Model to generate evidence for community-centered interventions addressing health disparities across state's public health preparedness districts. Methods A qualitative study was conducted among CHWs and CHW-affiliated organization representatives across 9 districts in Indiana. Data collection consisted of demographic surveys and audio-recorded focus groups facilitated by trained district CHWs. Verbatim transcripts of focus group recordings were coded by researchers using deductive approaches, and district-level focus group summaries were produced identifying emergent themes and proposed interventions. To assess the accuracy of findings, member checking was conducted with focus group participants. The proposed ideas to address health disparities were mapped to the Healthy People 2030 domains on Social Determinants of Health. Result A total of 54 individuals participated in 14 focus group sessions across nine districts. Most study participants were female (n = 49, 90.7%) and non-Hispanic (n = 46, 85.2%). A high proportion worked in community-based organizations (n = 22, 41.5%) and performed CHW roles (n = 37, 69.8%). Proposed interventions for mitigating health disparities spanned health literacy programs, enculturation of communication resources, transportation services, community needs assessments, preventative health and psychosocial programs. Fifteen proposed interventions were mapped to the social and community context domain of Healthy people 2030 framework; eight aligned with healthcare access quality and two with neighborhood and built environment. Conclusions Study findings demonstrate that leveraging the statewide Model positions CHWs to lead district efforts and generate evidence for interventions addressing health disparities across state Public Health Preparedness Districts. Future studies should assess the effectiveness of the statewide CHW Model and explore its policy implications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a9d5e1cb7f3d467bab8c2b39a8d1d0b1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6963 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BMC Health Services Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-a9d5e1cb7f3d467bab8c2b39a8d1d0b12025-08-20T03:46:04ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632025-07-0125111510.1186/s12913-025-12859-7Incorporating community-engaged research into a statewide community health worker-driven infrastructure for addressing health disparities in public health emergencyAzeez B. Aina0Antoniette Holt1Ashley H. Meredith2Carey Frazier3Carla Harrison4Celeste Fonseca-Tames5Fransesca Lynnet6Jasmine D. Gonzalvo7Karina Buenavides8Kourtney A.D. Byrd9Lance Boozer10Latrice Ligon11Maeve Companik12Margarita Hart13Megan Conklin14Natalia M. Rodriguez15Olivia Zarate16Olunda Hunt17Rebecca Ziolkowski18Samantha Daniels19Charleston Sanders20Shamika Crowder21Yumary Ruiz22Omolola A. Adeoye-Olatunde23Department of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University College of PharmacyIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University College of PharmacyIndiana Community Health Workers AssociationIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University College of PharmacyDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University College of PharmacyIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University College of PharmacyIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University College of PharmacyIndiana Community Health Workers AssociationDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University College of PharmacyDepartment of Public Health, College of Health and Human SciencesIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthDepartment of Public Health, College of Health and Human SciencesIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthIndiana Department of Health, Office of Minority HealthDepartment of Public Health, College of Health and Human SciencesDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University College of PharmacyAbstract Background Emergency response plans in unprecedented public health events prioritize community-based interventions for addressing health disparities. Due to their close connections and shared values with community members, positioning community health workers (CHWs) as leaders is a promising strategy for addressing health disparities. Hence, prominent public health institutions in Indiana co-developed a CHW-driven statewide infrastructure, the “Indiana Health Equity Council Community Health Worker Model” (Model) to serve as a practical framework for building a resilient and responsive public health system that strengthens the community health workforce and addresses health disparities. Objective The objective of this study was to leverage the statewide CHW Model to generate evidence for community-centered interventions addressing health disparities across state's public health preparedness districts. Methods A qualitative study was conducted among CHWs and CHW-affiliated organization representatives across 9 districts in Indiana. Data collection consisted of demographic surveys and audio-recorded focus groups facilitated by trained district CHWs. Verbatim transcripts of focus group recordings were coded by researchers using deductive approaches, and district-level focus group summaries were produced identifying emergent themes and proposed interventions. To assess the accuracy of findings, member checking was conducted with focus group participants. The proposed ideas to address health disparities were mapped to the Healthy People 2030 domains on Social Determinants of Health. Result A total of 54 individuals participated in 14 focus group sessions across nine districts. Most study participants were female (n = 49, 90.7%) and non-Hispanic (n = 46, 85.2%). A high proportion worked in community-based organizations (n = 22, 41.5%) and performed CHW roles (n = 37, 69.8%). Proposed interventions for mitigating health disparities spanned health literacy programs, enculturation of communication resources, transportation services, community needs assessments, preventative health and psychosocial programs. Fifteen proposed interventions were mapped to the social and community context domain of Healthy people 2030 framework; eight aligned with healthcare access quality and two with neighborhood and built environment. Conclusions Study findings demonstrate that leveraging the statewide Model positions CHWs to lead district efforts and generate evidence for interventions addressing health disparities across state Public Health Preparedness Districts. Future studies should assess the effectiveness of the statewide CHW Model and explore its policy implications.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12859-7Community health workerPublic healthHealth equitySocial determinants of healthEpidemiology |
| spellingShingle | Azeez B. Aina Antoniette Holt Ashley H. Meredith Carey Frazier Carla Harrison Celeste Fonseca-Tames Fransesca Lynnet Jasmine D. Gonzalvo Karina Buenavides Kourtney A.D. Byrd Lance Boozer Latrice Ligon Maeve Companik Margarita Hart Megan Conklin Natalia M. Rodriguez Olivia Zarate Olunda Hunt Rebecca Ziolkowski Samantha Daniels Charleston Sanders Shamika Crowder Yumary Ruiz Omolola A. Adeoye-Olatunde Incorporating community-engaged research into a statewide community health worker-driven infrastructure for addressing health disparities in public health emergency BMC Health Services Research Community health worker Public health Health equity Social determinants of health Epidemiology |
| title | Incorporating community-engaged research into a statewide community health worker-driven infrastructure for addressing health disparities in public health emergency |
| title_full | Incorporating community-engaged research into a statewide community health worker-driven infrastructure for addressing health disparities in public health emergency |
| title_fullStr | Incorporating community-engaged research into a statewide community health worker-driven infrastructure for addressing health disparities in public health emergency |
| title_full_unstemmed | Incorporating community-engaged research into a statewide community health worker-driven infrastructure for addressing health disparities in public health emergency |
| title_short | Incorporating community-engaged research into a statewide community health worker-driven infrastructure for addressing health disparities in public health emergency |
| title_sort | incorporating community engaged research into a statewide community health worker driven infrastructure for addressing health disparities in public health emergency |
| topic | Community health worker Public health Health equity Social determinants of health Epidemiology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12859-7 |
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