The urban asthma epidemic is on the rise. A multiplicity of interventions are currently being used to address the epidemic, including medical, home based, school based, and community approaches. Many of these interventions rely on community health workers to provide services or assist families to access services. This session overview will discuss the role and potential of community health workers to address urban asthma. The presentation will provide a rationale for the use of community health workers in asthma interventions, discuss the main program models that currently exist, including the evidence base, the potential and the challenge of each. The presentation will review the current research on community health workers roles and competencies, current training curricula, career paths, funding, and evaluation questions related to community health workers and urban asthma. The presentation will address the relationship between the community health worker and other members of the asthma "team", including physicians and the health care system, social services, schools and work places. Finally, the presentation will identify current and potential arenas for community health worker interventions, including housing, schools, the environmental justice movement, research, and others.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to: 1.Describe the rationale for utilizing a commuity health worker approach to urban asthma. 2.List five models for community health worker programs focusing on asthma
Keywords: Asthma, Community Health Promoters
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.