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Community Health Workers
The Community Health Worker (CHW) program is the cornerstone of HTH Initiatives. Through regular visits, community health workers survey and support the health of all patients and the needs of family members and the community.
The social service sector in environments of extreme poverty rarely facilitates the high level of support required for people living with HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, doctor/patient ratios do not allow clinicians to conduct home visits and or devote significant amounts of time following up on patients after a consultation. In many cases financial and social barriers make it difficult for individuals to travel to seek medical and psychosocial services at local health clinics.
The CHW program is a community directed health surveillance and social support system. Community health workers with program-specific training make routine home visits to adults and children living with HIV/AIDS. During visits, community health workers record basic health information including temperature, weight, and symptoms, in addition to providing counseling and moral support services to patients, family members, and friends. Community health workers may also refer and even accompany patients to the appropriate medical or psychological staff when further attention is necessary. Most importantly, community health workers remind members that they are not alone in this fight and that HTH Initiatives are committed to promoting their health and well being.
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