What is a Community Health Worker (CHW)? The nursing profession has a long and credible history developing the workforce to meet health needs of the population. Active engagement of nurses in health systems transformation is necessary if nurses are to remain visible, relevant, and impactful. One area where nurses – the largest and most trusted of health professions – have been curiously silent is the changing workforce, particularly in development of the community health worker role.”
(Karsting, K. (2017). The Emerging Role of the Community Health Worker (CHW): Nurses as Champions and Policy-leaders in a Transforming Health Care System. Retrieved from abstract). Please see her report in the link below.
CHW-Project-Report-FINAL-July-2017-ed-8-21-2017
Kathy Karsting, RN, MPH was named a Public Health Nurse Leader by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in late 2015. As a PHNL, Karsting works with RWJF and the Culture of Health framework to improve population health, well-being and equity. Karsting is employed by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, where she is program manager for Maternal Child and Adolescent Health programs, primarily working with the Title V MCH block grant to identify and address priorities of the maternal, infant, early childhood, school-aged, and adolescent populations in that state. Karsting also works with the Nebraska Action Coalition -Future of Nursing organization in a collaborative project to identify, educate others about, and leverage the unique contributions of nursing in health systems transformation.
