A news video from PBS in partnership with Kaiser Health News

Health coaches in Harlem are applying lessons learned from struggling communities of South Africa. Can the Community Health Worker (CHW) model improve health on a large scale in the complex health system of the United States?

“…here in Harlem, the question is, how can this model fit into a sprawling hospital system like Mount Sinai,” says Journalist Sarah Varney, “especially at a time when health care leaders are searching for ways to control the cost of caring for chronically ill patients?”

“With Medicare now penalizing providers for some preventable conditions, there are stronger financial incentives to steady the turbulent lives of people,” she continues.

There are early signs the program is working. Patients with health coaches cost $600 a month less in medical care than a control group, a strong indication that coaches are preventing expensive medical emergencies. And for half the patients, coaches alerted doctors about urgent needs that they weren’t aware of.

Click on image above or HERE to watch video.

Related Links:

Stakeholder Health Online Zine on Community Health Workers 

A Day in the Life of a Community Health Worker