Community health workers (CHWs) play an essential role in helping people access health and social services and in helping people manage their diabetes and other conditions. CHWs are frontline public health professionals who are trusted members of the communities they serve through shared ethnicity, culture, language, and life experiences. This trusting relationship enables them to bridge social and cultural barriers between communities and health or social service systems. They help individuals navigate complicated health care systems and help gather information for other health providers that might not be otherwise accessible. The Diabetes Policy Center, the New York State Health Foundation, and statewide partners are pursuing policy changes that can support and sustain funding and reimbursement for this vital workforce.
The Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) is a national, not-for-profit organization of clinicians working in migrant health. With over 5,000 constituents, the organization is a force for justice in health care for the mobile poor. MCN empowers clinicians and communities to strengthen clinical care and health care infrastructure for migrants and other mobile poor populations.
