Durrell Fox, a “CHW Hometown Hero of Georgia”

We recently commemorated National Public Health Week, where we honored community health workers (CHWs) and other critical public health actors. The nationally recognized CHW definition, developed by the American Public Health Association, states that a CHW is a “frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served.” Because of these trusting relationships, CHWs can facilitate access to services and improve quality of service delivery. JSI is proud to work with CHWs across the United States to strengthen health care for all.

We recently spoke with JSI’s Durrell Fox, CHW, to hear about an exciting national CHW program that JSI supported. Durrell was recently recognized as a CHW Hometown Hero of Georgia at the Southeast CHW Network Summit, an honor given to those whose “unwavering dedication, strength, and passion have significantly improved health outcomes…in our communities.” Durrell has over 30 years of experience serving as a CHW, providing outreach, direct services, case management support, and advocacy for adolescents/young adults living with HIV and their families and communities.

How do CHWs support communities?

Durrell: CHWs are frontline public health workers who support communities by providing a variety of services including health education and assistance in all areas and factors that influence health. They usually come from and share a similar ethnic and/or cultural background with the communities they serve. Their lived experiences enable CHWs to relate to the unique struggles and challenges faced in their communities and some of the resources and assets. Drawing on their common background, CHWs build trust with communities and connect community members to identified health and social services needs.

What kind of work is JSI doing with CHWs?

Durrell: JSI has a rich history of supporting CHWs through domestic and international projects for decades. JSI led one of two evaluation centers for the national CDC-funded Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCR) Initiative [1]. The CCR program also funded a national technical assistance center and 67 recipients nationwide to implement training for CHWs, integration of CHWs into a range of care settings, and delivery of a range of health services and supports by CHWs to communities hit hardest by COVID-19. Driven by the firm belief that CHWs play a pivotal role in the health and well-being of communities, our team carried out a CHW-led, community-based mixed-methods evaluation to understand the short-term and intermediate-term outcomes of this national initiative. JSI also provides evaluation-focused training and technical assistance support for the CDC-funded recipient programs. In the project’s final year, we are disseminating the results from the evaluation, which describe the wide range of services that CHWs provide, the impact CHWs have had in communities, and strategies to support the CHW workforce.

What are the main takeaways from that CHW project?

Durrell: CHWs had a tremendous impact during the COVID-19 public health emergency. They not only built trust with community members and educated people about COVID prevention and symptom management, but also linked them to other key supports that built community resilience for future health emergencies. Through the CCR initiative, over 3,000 CHWs received training on COVID-19 and other health conditions, and CHWs made over 1.8 million referrals to health and social services within their communities. CHWs strengthen communities not only during public health emergencies but at all times, and their unique role supports both individual and community well-being.

[1] This 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 a financial assistance award totaling $8 Million to date 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.