Throughout the history of the United States, there have always been communities that lacked access to health care and social services, and local, state, and federal government agencies created a variety of programs to assist them. But it wasn’t until 1967 that the first specialized occupation was created to help these groups. In that year, the first formal community health worker (CHW) program was created with the founding of the Community Health Aide Program by the Office of Economic Opportunity. The program aimed to improve health literacy and outcomes for Native Americans in Alaska. The career of community health program coordinator developed at the same time because there was a need for skilled professionals who could design and manage programs and supervise CHWs. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 included provisions that increased access to preventive health services under Medicaid (via the work of community health workers and managers and other public health professionals) and created funding for State Innovation Models, which aimed to help states improve health outcomes and quality of care while reducing health care expenditures. Some of these state-run models have incorporated community health professionals. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that some of the known outcomes of community health services include “improved access to health care services, increased health and screening, better understanding between community members and the health and social service system, enhanced communication between community members and health providers, increased use of health care services, improved adherence to health recommendations, and reduced need for emergency and specialty services.”
- Accountants
- Addiction Therapists
- Adult Day Care Coordinators
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors
- Arbitrators
- Auditors
- Automotive Dealership Owners
- Behavioral Health Technicians
- Billing Clerks
- Bookkeeping and Accounting Clerks
- Budget Analysts
- Business Continuity Planners
- Business Development Managers and Directors
- Business Intelligence Analysts
- Business Managers
- Buyers
- Cancer Registrars
- Cardiologists
- Career and Employment Counselors
- Career and Employment Technicians
- Chief Customer Officers
- Chief Executive Officers
- Chief Financial Officers
- Chief Information Officers
- Chief Information Security Officers
- Chief Restructuring Officers
- Chief Revenue Officers
- Chief Robotics Officer
- Chief Sustainability Officers
- Chief Trust Officers
- Child Life Specialists
- Client Services Managers
- Clinic Managers
- Clinical Data Managers
- Clinical Research Coordinators
- Collection Workers
- Community Health Nurses
- Community Health Workers
- Community Nutrition Educators
- Compliance Managers
- Conflict Resolution Specialists
- Contact Tracers
- Continuous Improvement Managers
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- Corporate Community Relations Directors
- Corporate Lawyers
- Corporate Librarians
- Cost Estimators
- Creative Arts Therapists
- Cultural Advisers
- Customer Service Directors
- Customer Service Representatives
- Customs Brokers
- Data Entry Clerks
- Decision Scientists
- Dietetic Technicians
- Digital Workplace Experience Engineers
- Directors of Corporate Sponsorship
- Directors of Security
- Directors of Telehealth
- Directors of Volunteers
- Document Management Specialists
- Economists
- Entrepreneurs
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Event Planners
- Executive Recruiters
- Forensic Accountants and Auditors
- Futurists
- Geriatric Care Managers
- Geriatric Nurses
- Geriatric Psychiatrists
- Geriatric Social Workers
- Grant Coordinators and Writers
- Grief Therapists
- Health Advocates
- Health Care Consultants
- Health Care Insurance Navigators
- Health Care Managers
- Health Data Analysts
- HIV/AIDS Counselors and Case Managers
- Home Health Care Aides
- Home Health Care and Hospice Nurses
- Hospice Workers
- Hospitalists
- Human Resources Managers
- Human Services Workers
- Informatics Nurse Specialists
- Information Technology Infrastructure Engineers
- Internet Consultants
- Internet Executives
- Internet Store Managers and Entrepreneurs
- Internet Transaction Specialists
- Labor Union Business Agents
- Legal Operations Specialists
- Loss Prevention Managers
- Management Analysts and Consultants
- Medical Ethicists
- Medical Record Technicians
- Medical Secretaries
- Medical Transcriptionists
- Music Therapists
- Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists
- Nurse Managers
- Nursing Home Administrators
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides
- Office Administrators
- Orientation and Mobility Specialists
- Payroll Directors
- Personal Care Aides
- Product Designers
- Professional Organizers
- Project Managers
- Proposal Managers
- Psychologists
- Public Interest Lawyers
- Purchasing Agents
- Receptionists
- Recreational Therapists
- Regulatory Affairs Managers
- Regulatory Affairs Specialists
- Rehabilitation Counselors
- Sales Managers
- Sales Representatives
- Secretaries
- Sign Language and Oral Interpreters
- Social Workers
- Space Tourism Managers
- Statisticians
- Stenographers
- Strategy Managers
- Tax Managers
- Temporary Workers
- Traffic Managers
- Transplant Coordinators
- Tutors and Trainers
- Typists and Word Processors
- Workplace Diversity Experts