“Invest in Us!” Exploring the Well-Being and Sustainability of the Community Health Worker Workforce

“Invest in Us!” Exploring the Well-Being and Sustainability of the Community Health Worker Workforce

This article presents findings from a qualitative study of the Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities project in the United States. We conducted 27 interviews with community health workers (CHWs), recipient program staff, and program partners. Thematic analysis revealed two main themes—organizational capacity and political support—and four subthemes. We illustrate participants’ varying experiences of CHW integration and organizational capacity building by partners to sustain and fund the CHW workforce, while recognizing the vast contributions CHWs provide communities in addressing public health needs. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(S4):S266–S271. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2026.308713)