Community Health Impact Coalition
@joinchic.bsky.social
Community Health Impact Coalition is making professional community health workers the norm worldwide by changing guidelines, funding, and policy. Join us!
During outbreaks like Ebola, CHWs help counter misinformation, promote protective behaviors, and build confidence in public health interventions. No other actor in a health emergency holds that position. ➡️ The role of proCHWs in outbreak preparedness + response: sbee.link/ca3x8b9kmj
There are thousands of papers on CHWs, yet few were written by or with CHWs. Last month in Uganda, CHIC convened CHWs, researchers, and partners around one question: what does it take for CHWs to lead research, not just appear in it? Explore CHWs as researchers: sbee.link/w83ncdkg9f
56 countries have proCHWs policy. But policy adoption is only part of the story. Are CHWs financed? Supervised? Supported by the systems needed to deliver care at scale? CHIC's proCHW Policy Dashboard V 2.0 helps answer those question: sbee.link/xdgnra9cpk
Entrepreneurial models of community healthcare turn CHWs into sales associates and communities into customers. CHWs should be able to focus on providing quality healthcare, not boosting product sales. Explore why these models underperform + the evidence for proCHWs: joinchic.org/resources/the-...
What would strengthen the Ebola response? CHWs in Uganda + DRC told us that while community engagement is essential to containing Ebola, communities must be part of shaping preparedness + response efforts—not just implementing them. More about the role of proCHWs: joinchic.org/resources/comm...
proCHW policy is needed to make proCHWs the norm worldwide. But policy alone doesn't guarantee systems will hold. Since 2023, CHIC’s proCHW Policy Dashboard has tracked where commitments exist. Version 2.0 examines whether they are translating into implementation. → sbee.link/fbgmup7hnk
1984. That's when Malawi began paying CHWs as salaried members of the public health system. But longevity doesn't guarantee systems hold. CHIC's proCHW Policy Dashboard Version 2.0 explores whether policy commitments are translating into implementation. ➡️ sbee.link/v7kne6gqtx
CHWs should not just experience the effects of global health funding decisions. They should help shape them. Prossy Muyingo, a CHW from Uganda, is helping bring frontline perspective into broader conversations on global health funding, including recently with NPR: https://sbee.link/4a3bmhe6gf
In 2025, global health financing came under pressure. Yet, investment in proCHWs increased. The Global Fund raised funding for proCHW programs by 32% to +$900M. How institutions frame investments shapes what countries can implement. Our 2025 Annual Report explores: sbee.link/xt8cv4hfab
Immunization coverage depends not only on vaccines—but on how health systems support the workforce closest to communities. Angelica Mutete Kiilu, a CHW from Kenya, shares why making professional CHWs the norm matters for immunization delivery. #WordlImmunizationWeek
Progress in immunization depends on whether CHWs are part of the system. As Ngoya Vincent, CHW in DRC shares: “When treated as informal support, gaps follow—missed children, weak mobilization, limited follow-up. When integrated, trust grows and care continues.”
In Malawi, CHWs administer +80% of all vaccinations. In Kenya, their outreach made infants 2.5x more likely to be fully immunized. It's simple: when we invest in CHWs, we invest in stronger, more resilient health systems: sbee.link/w76r4and83 #WorldImmunizationWeek
📣 CHIC’s April Research Round-Up is out. It highlights a growing disconnect: more than half of NGOs are already piloting AI tools, yet almost none are meaningfully integrated into national health systems. Dive into the full round-up: sbee.link/myj6vxa7fc
CHWs have long shown what’s possible when care is brought closer to people. But getting to national policy + public financing is where many efforts stall. At #SWF26, CHIC will join a session exploring how movements can translate emergent innovation into government adoption + domestic financing.
Most AI in community health is still stuck in pilots. Later this week at #SkollWF, CHIC is convening a session to focus on what it would take to move beyond pilots and into systems. For CHWs, that line is not abstract. It shapes whether new tools add complexity or support care in practice.
2025 demanded more from CHWs than many noticed. When systems are fragile, they absorb the shock. Carmen Vargas, a lead CHW in Peru, shares how CHWs are organizing—not just to be heard, but to shape policies that define their work in CHIC's annual report: sbee.link/kv6tjawd78
AI is reaching CHWs. But not through the systems they work in. Right now, most tools are introduced from the outside—without being set up to integrate into national programs. That’s what determines whether they become part of care, or something separate from it. 🔗 https://sbee.link/bexpqk3nug
CHIC’s goal is to see professional CHW policy in 95+ countries. In 2025, we reached the halfway 50 countries now recognize CHWs as accredited, salaried professionals in national policy. Our 2025 Annual Report explores how we got here + what it takes to keep moving: sbee.link/h36pwrcvye
In a year defined by fiscal contraction, progress on professional CHWs didn’t stall—it accelerated. 50 countries now recognize CHWs as accredited, salaried professionals in national policy. Our 2025 Annual Report explores what’s driving that shift: sbee.link/k6r3cftdap
CHWs aren’t a "nice-to-have." They’re core health system infrastructure. Integrated CHW programs can deliver care across entire communities for ~$0.59 per person per year. This #WHWWeek, we’re focusing on what it takes to sustain the workforce we celebrate. ➡️ sbee.link/efkwn8muvt
Investing in CHWs means investing in #HealthForAll today and resilient health systems for years to come. #proCHWs are low-cost and high-impact: our best bet in achieving UHC. This #WHWWeek, we call on partners & policymakers to support what works: paid, professional CHWs.
HIV treatment levels held after aid cuts. But the system didn’t. An NPR story shows why: a CHW in Uganda kept supporting patients after losing his salary. The system didn’t absorb the shock. People did. This is why proCHWs matter. Read his story: www.npr.org/2026/03/20/nx-s...
AI is already part of how CHWs deliver care. Training hasn’t kept up. A free AI Literacy Course, co-created with CHWs by CHIC and members, focuses on safe, critical, real-world use. Explore: https://sbee.link/dyxuk6qbng
Most of the nearly 5 million CHWs globally are still unpaid. But that’s starting to change—50+ countries are moving toward paid, accredited programs. What’s driving that shift? Collective action. New piece in Stanford Social Innovation Review: sbee.link/my96vubacx
From Unpaid to Unstoppable: The Rise of the Professional Community Health Worker Movement (SSIR)
Health coalitions did the research, coordinated with donors, and secured strong government buy-in. Now, community health workers are finally getting the credit—and pay—they deserve.
sbee.link
When global standards shift, so do expectations. WHO’s Curriculum Guide makes it harder to justify undertrained, unsupervised, unpaid CHWs. The path forward is clearer: invest in a professional, supported workforce. 🔗 https://sbee.link/pwaq3rydct
Not all CHW programs deliver the same results. Integrated CHW programs consistently outperform fragmented, single-disease models. When we invest in integrated CHWs we don’t just save money. We save lives. We stretch resources. We strengthen systems. ↪️ sbee.link/k7qaejv8pr
What’s shaping the future of community health? Not just technology — but how we support, protect, and invest in the people delivering care. Latest evidence from CHIC’s Research Roundup: sbee.link/dpqb739ytk
What do we actually know about how CHW programs are financed across sub-Saharan Africa? Join this webinar with Financing Alliance for Health and CHIC to explore what current data reveals about CHW investments +why stronger visibility matters for policy and financing decisions. ➡️ bit.ly/4l6xf2N
