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infographic depicting 'Porposed CHW Coalition Timeline' - please contact HES for assistance reading this content if needed

After working together to pass and implement community health worker (CHW) certification in Connecticut, HES and our partners were eager to see more progress in expanding and solidifying this vital […]

03/03/2023
Samantha Lew
, She/Her
logo for Health Equity Week 2023

The first full week of April is now recognized in statute as Health Equity Week! This week annually reaffirms Connecticut’s commitment to eliminating inequities in health and ensuring all residents […]

ct.gov logo
Community Health Workers (CHWs), go by many names: lay health workers, navigators, promotores, peer support workers, health educators, community health advocates, community health liaisons, and many other titles. All community health workers are public health outreach professionals with an in-depth understanding of the experiences, languages, cultures, and socioeconomic needs of the community they serve.
Each year Health Equity Solutions hosts listening sessions to learn what health equity issues are most important to people in Connecticut. This year we are flipping the script. Let’s talk about it!
Inclusion describes systems, processes, and circumstances that are open to and respectful of the needs of diverse people. Achieving health equity requires us to be intentional in creating meaningful exchanges of ideas among our health systems, policymakers, and the people most affected by inequities at every stage of policymaking—from identifying problems to evaluating the effects of policies and adapting to new information.
Affordability means people can access health care while still being able to cover routine expenses. Approximately 18% of Connecticut households with working adults had health care costs that exceeded their ability to afford basic needs. Black, Latino, and low-income adults are disproportionately affected by higher health care costs and face more hurdles to meet basic needs.