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Community Health Work and Social Work Collaboration: Integration in Health Care and Public Health Settings: A
Liana Petruzzi1, Julie Smithwick, Lily Lee
1Author Affiliations: Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (Drs Petruzzi, Valdez, and Jones); Center for Community Health Alignment, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina (Mss Smithwick and Fox); Knowledge Transfer Exchange Strategies, LLC, Corona, California (Dr Lee); Center for Innovation in Social Work Health, Boston University School of Social Work, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr Delva and Mr Wilkinson); Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (Drs Vohra-Gupta, Valdez, and Jones); Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California (Dr Aranda).
Community health workers (CHWs) and social workers (SWs) collaboration is key for health, but often siloed. A national workgroup developed a framework to improve integration through standardized training, clear roles, and shared systems.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Social Work
- Healthcare Systems Integration
Background:
- Community health worker (CHW) and social worker (SW) collaboration is vital for illness prevention and intervention.
- Current systems often operate in silos, hindering cross-sector alignment and optimal patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To improve CHW/SW collaboration and integration across the United States.
- To develop a conceptual framework guiding CHW/SW integration.
Main Methods:
- Convened a national workgroup of over 24 CHWs, SWs, and public health experts in 2021.
- Developed a conceptual framework detailing factors influencing CHW/SW collaboration.
Main Results:
- Identified structural, systemic, and organizational factors impacting CHW/SW collaboration.
- Outlined best practices for effective integration.
Conclusions:
- Standardized training, clear roles, defined scopes of practice, and shared documentation systems are essential.
- Regular communication and ongoing supervision are critical for successful CHW/SW collaboration and improved health outcomes.
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