Empowering communities for health and well-being
Help beyond the hospital
Where you live, what resources you have, and the environment around you can profoundly affect your health. That’s why patient care must be about more than providing medical attention and treating illnesses. The best health care takes a holistic approach, supporting patients by honoring where they are in life, and providing the resources and support they need to live well. Since 2013, the Penn Center for Community Health Workers has been committed to doing just that. Our mission is to advance health equity and improve health outcomes through person-centered care and partnerships.
The Penn Center for Community Health Workers developed IMPaCT©, an evidence-based program led by community health workers that improves health and wellbeing. Since its creation, IMPaCT© has supported close to 25,000 people in our region. Research shows that this program is highly effective at enhancing patient satisfaction, improving mental health and chronic disease management, and reducing health-care costs by shortening hospital stays.
IMPaCT© community health workers partner with patients to address various aspects of their lives that impact health—from navigating the health system to tackling underlying social barriers, such as unstable housing, social isolation, and unemployment. These partnerships help to build healthier, more resilient communities.
Supporting families after trauma
After the tragic loss of her son to gun violence, this Philadelphia mom transformed her grief into activism, helping others navigate trauma as a Penn Medicine community health worker.
What is a community health worker?
Community health workers are members of our staff who are trusted connectors, navigators, and advocates for health and well-being who come from within Penn Medicine’s local communities. They share many aspects of lived experience and culture with their patients. Community health workers use that knowledge to get things done in clinical and community settings using formal and informal resources and networks.
Along with being collaborative and goal-oriented, IMPaCT community health workers are hired for their natural disposition toward empathy, open-mindedness, and good listening skills. These traits enable the workers to establish meaningful connections with the individuals they serve. They ensure patients feel heard and empowered to make progress toward their health goals.
How community health workers improve lives
Learn how our community health workers address health disparities by connecting families in West Philadelphia with vital healthcare services and support.
Driving research and innovation
Research is a critical part of the Penn Center for Community Health Workers’ work to innovate and shape best practices in community health. Community health workers have demonstrated tangible improvements in hospitalizations, mental health outcomes, and patient-provider communication through randomized controlled trials and other published studies.
Explore some recent research publications to learn more about the evidence behind their impactful interventions.
- New England Journal of Medicine – Getting proximate — Flipping the mentorship paradigm to promote health equity
- Health Affairs (Millwood) - Evidence-based community health worker program addresses unmet social needs and generates positive return on investment
- Health Services Research - Effects of a standardized community health worker intervention on hospitalization among disadvantaged patients with multiple chronic conditions: A pooled analysis of three clinical trials
- JAMA Internal Medicine – Effect of community health worker support on clinical outcomes of low-income patients across primary care facilities
- American Journal of Public Health – Community health worker support for disadvantaged patients with multiple chronic diseases: A randomized clinical trial
Making a referral
Are you a Penn Medicine provider looking to connect your patients to a community health worker? Simply send an EPIC message to the "IMPaCT" pool, place an EPIC order to "IMPaCT Community Health Worker Program," or leave a voicemail on our hotline at 215-662-8635. Our CHWs will work with you to ensure that our patients receive the holistic support they need to thrive.