About Us

As trusted community members, community health workers (CHWs) serve as liaisons between health and social services and the community to improve service access, quality of service and cultural responsiveness. CHWs work in rural, urban and suburban communities to help make the healthcare system more approachable for vulnerable communities.

CHWs typically have lived experiences with the people they serve and often share race, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, gender and other characteristics with the people they serve. They support a range of activities, including: outreach, education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy.

The project has partners in four areas of Virginia:

Southwest Virginia/Mt. Rogers

  • Ballad Health
  • Healing Hands Health Center
  • Mount Rogers Health District

Norfolk/Portsmouth

  • Capital Center of VA (CCVA) – Urban Baby Beginnings (UBB)
  • Minority AIDS Support Services, Inc. (MASS)
  • Sentara Healthcare

Pittsylvania County/Danville

  • Piedmont Access to Health Services (PATHS)
  • Sovah Health (Life Point)

Richmond/Petersburg

  • Richmond Henrico Health District (RHHD)
  • Central VA Health Services (CVHS)
  • Capital Center of VA (CCVA) – Urban Baby Beginnings (UBB)
  • Crossover Health Center
  • Health Brigade
  • Sacred Heart
  • Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

This website serves as a resource to learn about the project and how CHWs are positively impacting communities across Virginia.

This CHWs for a Healthy VA project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of financial assistance awards totaling over $13 million, with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.