HPAC Scholar's Day 2019 CHW_Assessment_Key_Findings | Page 23

To understand more broadly how CHWs are currently being trained and
utilized in Ohio, key informant interviews were conducted with key
stakeholders across a variety of domains. Key informant interviews are
useful in capacity assessments to help frame and identify key areas of need
to further guide the overall assessment (Gilmore, 2012). Specifically, the
purpose of these interviews was to obtain key informant perspectives on CHW
utilization, how CHWs fit into the current health system, how CHWs are being
trained, CHW certification, CHW employment, CHW supervision, CHW roles,
funding, sustainability, general successes and challenges for this profession,
and where employers and certified/non-certified CHWs can be found in Ohio.
Sample Characteristics
The 11 key informants interviewed included
the following types of professionals: CHW,
physician, public health nurse, public health
practitioner, agency/program directors, state
agency employees, CHW employers, and CHW
funders. The 11 key informants represented
the following stakeholder perspectives for
certified and non-certified CHWs:
■ ■
Asian American community-based
organizations
■ ■ CHW training programs
■ ■ Free clinics
■ ■ Local health departments
■ ■ Hospitals
■ ■ Latino community-based organizations
■ ■ Pathways Community HUBs
■ ■ Ohio Association of Community Health
Centers (OACHC)
■ ■ OBN
■ ■ OCHWA
■ ■ Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM)
and 272 codes) that are on the minds of
key stakeholders from across a variety of
domains in Ohio. These themes were (in
order of discussion frequency):
■ ■ Wide variety in CHW roles, supervision,
and the settings, populations, and
conditions they serve in Ohio
■ ■ While there is support for CHWs in Ohio, a
solid and sustainable infrastructure does
not exist
■ ■ Training is valuable but needs
improvement
■ ■ What employers and stakeholders value
in CHWs
■ ■ CHW programs and outcomes in Ohio
are important but not widely known and
shared freely across the state
■ ■ The profession is not well understood
by other professionals in Ohio and thus
CHWs are not being utilized to their full
potential
■ ■ Certification is valuable but barriers exist
to achieve certification in Ohio
■ ■ The CHW profession is not clearly defined
and established in Ohio
Discussion of Key Informant
Interview Findings Funding
The key informant interviews revealed eight
major themes (derived from 51 categories As a result of the findings that emerged
in the codes, categories, and themes,
Key Informant Interviews
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