Crystal N. Parker

Community Health Worker

Community health workers (CHW) are lay members of communities who work either for pay or as volunteers in association with the local health care system in both urban and rural environments and usually share ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status and life experiences with the community members they serve. They have been identified by many titles such as community health advisors, lay health advocates, "promotores(as), outreach educators, community health representatives, peer health promoters, and peer health educators. CHWs offer interpretation and translation services, provide culturally appropriate health education and information, assist people in receiving the care they need, give informal counseling and guidance on health behaviors, advocate for individual and community health needs, and provide some direct services such as first aid and blood pressure screening. Some examples of these practitioners are Community Health Aides or Practitioners established under 25 USC 1616 (l) under HHS, Indian Health Service, Public Health Service.

• Aetna [Aetna Life Insurance Company]

• ASR Health Benefits [ASR Corporation]

• Beacon Health Options

• Blue Care Network of Michigan

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Mutual Insurance Company

• Blue Cross Complete of Michigan

• Cigna Healthcare [Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company]

• Health Alliance Plan (HAP)

• Magellan Health [Magellan Health, Inc.]

• McLaren Health Plan

• Medicare

• Meridian Choice [Meridian Health Plan of Michigan, Inc.]

• Molina Marketplace [Molina Healthcare of Michigan, Inc.]

• Priority Health

• UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Inc.