The Community Health Access Project in Ohio began in urban Mansfield (Richland) in 1999 with the goal of overcoming barriers to health care and employment for residents of the Ocie Hill neighborhood. The program expanded to rural Danville (Knox) County in February 2000, where Appalachian and Amish clients are among those receiving care coordination.
The majority of CHAP's funding is provided through local Departments of Job and Family Services. Grants from other foundations and the Ohio Commission on Minority Health have also funded CHAP program activities.
The Community Health Workers (CHWs), identified, hired and trained directly within the community, serve as the foundation to our effort to change basic health and social outcomes. The Community Health Access Project (CHAP) provides a recognized model of community-based care coordination as a means of improving the basic health and social outcomes of individuals in neighborhoods with the greatest needs.
In this model of Community Care Coordination, an individual from within the community served provides a culturally relevant link to existing health and social services. Employment, college training, and support services are provided to the Community Care Coordinator so that the community and its residents become the agents for change.
Community Health Workers open the door for necessary services to reach clients, who are otherwise isolated due to cultural, geographic and economic barriers. Care coordination services do not duplicate, but facilitate and strengthen existing community resources. Through home visits, the Care Coordinator serves as an ongoing resource to neighborhood families, identifying individual needs and providing connections to appropriate services.
Trained at the college level, Community Health Workers collect specific health and social information, which is transferred immediately for review by health professionals. Working with the CHAP nurse and physician, the Community Health Workers assists clients by accessing health care services quickly and in most cases through a primary care provider. Most importantly, the Community Health Worker helps recognize potential problems and supports continued patient compliance, thus preventing poor outcomes.
CHAP is modeled after the Alaska Community Health Aide Program, which began over 40 years ago and is credited with substantially improving that state's poor social and health statistics. With over 500 aides serving isolated areas, Alaska now has one of the lowest low birth weight rates in the United States. Our program represents more than 18 years of experience for our staff Physicians Drs. Mark and Sarah Redding. They have worked with Care Coordinators in rural Alaska and Baltimore, Maryland to the Ohio project.
