Bridging the gap: community health workers as a vital link in humanitarian medical responses
Community Health Workers (CHWs) have proven essential in improving health outcomes and building community trust and their role in humanitarian emergency medical responses warrants further study. We illustrate this point with two case studies, the integration of community health workers into Mobile M...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Disaster and Emergency Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/femer.2025.1529772/full |
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| author | Cora P. Nally Patrick Van de Voorde Marleen Temmerman Marleen Temmerman Adama Koroma Monique Mitchell Mary B. Adam |
| author_facet | Cora P. Nally Patrick Van de Voorde Marleen Temmerman Marleen Temmerman Adama Koroma Monique Mitchell Mary B. Adam |
| author_sort | Cora P. Nally |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Community Health Workers (CHWs) have proven essential in improving health outcomes and building community trust and their role in humanitarian emergency medical responses warrants further study. We illustrate this point with two case studies, the integration of community health workers into Mobile Medical Teams [MMTs] in both The Bahamas and Sierra Leone. CHWs in these examples came to the forefront of addressing community mistrust for external medical teams, health communication efforts and patient follow-up care. In Sierra Leone, this program resulted in a 32% rise in referrals to established health services. By exploring these contexts, the paper provides a new framework for enhancing humanitarian responses through CHWs, outlining the strategic, logistical, and cultural benefits of such an approach. This research suggests that integrating CHWs with MMT's can bolster health outcomes, especially in communities affected by political instability, natural disasters, and resource limitations. The paper ends by providing policy implications and recommendations for further research on the use of CHWs during a range of emergency contexts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9ec022679de841059193b7d2ca2d6806 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2813-7302 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Disaster and Emergency Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-9ec022679de841059193b7d2ca2d68062025-01-27T06:40:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Disaster and Emergency Medicine2813-73022025-01-01310.3389/femer.2025.15297721529772Bridging the gap: community health workers as a vital link in humanitarian medical responsesCora P. Nally0Patrick Van de Voorde1Marleen Temmerman2Marleen Temmerman3Adama Koroma4Monique Mitchell5Mary B. Adam6Ghent University, Ghent, BelgiumGhent University Hospital, Ghent, East Flanders, BelgiumGhent University, Ghent, BelgiumCentre of Excellence for Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, KenyaPublic Health Consultant, Freetown, Sierra LeoneMinistry of Health Bahamas, Nassau, BahamasKijabe Hospital, Kijabe, KenyaCommunity Health Workers (CHWs) have proven essential in improving health outcomes and building community trust and their role in humanitarian emergency medical responses warrants further study. We illustrate this point with two case studies, the integration of community health workers into Mobile Medical Teams [MMTs] in both The Bahamas and Sierra Leone. CHWs in these examples came to the forefront of addressing community mistrust for external medical teams, health communication efforts and patient follow-up care. In Sierra Leone, this program resulted in a 32% rise in referrals to established health services. By exploring these contexts, the paper provides a new framework for enhancing humanitarian responses through CHWs, outlining the strategic, logistical, and cultural benefits of such an approach. This research suggests that integrating CHWs with MMT's can bolster health outcomes, especially in communities affected by political instability, natural disasters, and resource limitations. The paper ends by providing policy implications and recommendations for further research on the use of CHWs during a range of emergency contexts.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/femer.2025.1529772/fullCommunity Health Worker (CHW)Mobile Medical Team (MMT)Sierra Leone Ebola databaseHurricane Dorian 2019community based programshumanitarian response |
| spellingShingle | Cora P. Nally Patrick Van de Voorde Marleen Temmerman Marleen Temmerman Adama Koroma Monique Mitchell Mary B. Adam Bridging the gap: community health workers as a vital link in humanitarian medical responses Frontiers in Disaster and Emergency Medicine Community Health Worker (CHW) Mobile Medical Team (MMT) Sierra Leone Ebola database Hurricane Dorian 2019 community based programs humanitarian response |
| title | Bridging the gap: community health workers as a vital link in humanitarian medical responses |
| title_full | Bridging the gap: community health workers as a vital link in humanitarian medical responses |
| title_fullStr | Bridging the gap: community health workers as a vital link in humanitarian medical responses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bridging the gap: community health workers as a vital link in humanitarian medical responses |
| title_short | Bridging the gap: community health workers as a vital link in humanitarian medical responses |
| title_sort | bridging the gap community health workers as a vital link in humanitarian medical responses |
| topic | Community Health Worker (CHW) Mobile Medical Team (MMT) Sierra Leone Ebola database Hurricane Dorian 2019 community based programs humanitarian response |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/femer.2025.1529772/full |
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