Employers\u27 perceptions of factors related to the workforce development of community health workers in El Paso, Texas: A descriptive study

Workforce studies are necessary for regional economic development and for having a diverse workforce that meets the communities\u27 needs. Workforce studies explore the most salient factors of models aimed at balancing economic forces of supply and demand. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are frontline health workers recognized by both the United States (US) Department of Labor (DOL) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA). CHWs\u27 service is oriented towards health promotion and disease prevention; they deliver public health interventions. External and internal factors to the US health care system such as health care and wealth disparities, changing demographics, changing epidemiology of diseases, lack of workforce diversity, and inadequate distribution of workers, shape the communities\u27 need for health services that are affordable, accessible, and focused on quality. Health workforce development planners and other stakeholders in the US health care industry are challenged not only by the existing communities\u27 need for health care but also by the recently developed health policies aimed at increasing the access and availability of health services. The US health care reform supports strategies that have the potential to both reduce high and rising health care costs and increase access to quality health care services. CHWs represent an alternative human resource for health care services that promises to increase public health programs\u27 quality and effectiveness. A health workforce that is adequate in size, composition, and distribution can be strategically planned through identifying local opportunities for workforce development. Through the coordination and sponsorship of HEART Project, team members formed the Paso del Norte CHW/Promotora Workforce Coalition. The three Coalition\u27s strategic directions for CHW workforce advancement (Policy and Publicity, Training and Capacitacion, and Research and Evaluation) served to generate a survey instrument to study the CHW workforce from the employers\u27 perspective. The present study\u27s focus is on the issues concerning the demand for CHWs in the region. The 27 employers in El Paso, Texas that completed telephone surveys are categorized within the industry cluster Health Care and Social Assistance under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Through this study, decision makers will have available for use a regional demand profile for CHWs that reflects the employers\u27 perspectives about CHW workforce development. Stakeholders in the field can determine the Coalition\u27s options to effectively collaborate with such employers. The Coalition is better prepared to build specific action goals and objectives that benefit the health industry sector and the overall participants in the CHW workforce

The Process Of Adoption Of Disruptive Innovations In Local Health Care Agencies Delivering Primary Care

The current state of the U.S. health care system is complex and limit access to care to many consumers, thus compromising their health outcomes. The problems of limited access and questionable quality can be addressed by focusing on enhancing the primary health care field. Improvements in both the access and performance of primary health care agencies, derive in better health outcomes and cost savings to the system in the long-term. Disruptive innovations, that make products and services simpler and more affordable, are adopted in agencies and potentially improve access and performance measures. However, the adoption of disruptive innovations in local health care agencies delivering primary care has not been explored yet. This qualitative study with a Grounded Theory design, aimed at inductively developing a process model about the adoption of disruptive innovations in local health care agencies delivering primary care. The process model was generated by interviewing 30 participants, which are the representatives of potentially disruptive health care agencies in El Paso, Texas. The semi-structured interview guide was created according to an integrated framework for the study of change and innovations in agencies. The findings of this study are of the interest of several stakeholders and have a direct application for generating efficiencies in the local health care market

Exploring Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Health Needs in the Southwestern United States: Perspectives from Health and Human Services Workers

This study explored intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in the southwestern United States, focused on health and human services professionals (HHSPs) and community health workers (CHWs) in El Paso, Texas. Understanding providers’ perspectives about IPV and SRH is an integral component of clinical and service care. Two focus groups were conducted with HHSPs and CHWs directly involved in health and human services delivery (N = 24). Participants discussed risks, protective factors, challenges, interventions, and programs to address IPV and SRH. Lack of specialized professional training and educational programs about IPV and SRH were identified as the principal barriers to addressing the needs of IPV victims/survivors and perpetrators. The findings suggested that interventions should be culturally and linguistically appropriate and focused on a broad range of IPV and SRH issues and professional skills building. The information gathered from the focus groups informed the adaptation of two modules to improve IPV and sexual health. Subsequently, CHWs received training from the newly adapted program. This promising program is designed to meet the SRH needs of women, men, and survivors/victims of IPV and builds on the strong roles of health professionals, CHWs, and social workers