Community health workers (CHWs) have worked in a variety of settings in the United States for more than 70 years and are increasingly recognized as an essential health workforce. CHWs share life experience with the people they serve and have firsthand knowledge of the causes and impacts of health inequity. They provide a critical link between marginalized communities and health care and public health services. Several studies have demonstrated that CHWs can improve the management of chronic conditions, increase access to preventive care, improve patients’ experience of care, and reduce health care costs. CHWs can also advance health equity by addressing social needs and advocating for systems and policy change. This review provides a history of CHW integration with health care in the United States; describes evidence of the impact of CHW programs on population health, experience, costs of care, and health equity; and identifies considerations for CHW program expansion.

中文翻译：

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美国社区卫生工作者与卫生保健和公共卫生的整合和有效性

社区卫生工作者 (CHW) 在美国的各种环境中工作了 70 多年，并且越来越被认为是重要的卫生劳动力。社区卫生工作者与他们所服务的人们分享生活经验，并对健康不平等的原因和影响有第一手的了解。它们在边缘化社区与医疗保健和公共卫生服务之间提供了重要的联系。多项研究表明，社区卫生工作者可以改善慢性病的管理，增加获得预防性护理的机会，改善患者的护理体验，并降低医疗保健成本。社区卫生工作者还可以通过满足社会需求和倡导系统和政策变革来促进健康公平。这篇综述提供了美国社区卫生工作者与医疗保健相结合的历史；描述社区卫生工作者计划对人口健康、经验、护理成本和健康公平的影响的证据；并确定了 CHW 计划扩展的考虑因素。