Community Health Workers (CHWs) play an essential role in a community’s local healthcare and medical fields. CHWs are well-trusted among regional or local populations and possess the capabilities to garner support as they share information and encourage healthy lifestyles to best reduce health disparities. Because they share experiences and characteristics with the communities they serve, Community Health Workers have a unique ability to connect with their communities in a way that traditional doctors or medical professionals may not be able to. This may include ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, and other life experiences that allow patients to feel more comfortable and open as a result. Some of the services provided by CHWs include culturally appropriate health education, assistance in accessing medical services and programs, assistance in accessing non-medical services and programs, serving as a translator or interpreting information for community members, counseling, mentoring, providing social support, and aiding in access to transportation.  

Community Health Workers are especially important in promoting and taking steps toward bettering heart health because they have the ability to reach and support individuals in day to day lives. This support is particularly helpful among underserved communities and racial and ethnic minority groups, who are more likely to experience heart disease or other risk factors that could otherwise be prevented or controlled with healthy lifestyle choices. With this in mind, it is that much more important to share information with community members and help them to take the necessary steps to make heart-healthy choices. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers easily accessible resources & toolkits to help Community Health Workers supply necessary, easy-to-understand information regarding heart health to community members in an accessible and meaningful way.