Florida Community Health Worker Coalition
The Florida Community Health Worker Coalition is the recognized leader and professional home for Community Health Workers (CHWs) across the state. As a statewide, multisector partnership, we are committed to advancing the CHW profession and improving health outcomes for Florida’s uninsured and underinsured populations.
Through collaboration, training, advocacy, and leadership, we work to address disparities and empower CHWs as essential frontline professionals. Together—with your support—we can strengthen communities and improve health outcomes throughout Florida.
The Florida Community Health Worker Coalition was established in 2010 as part of a Policy, Environmental, and Systems Change (PES) grant awarded to the Florida Department of Health. This initiative led to the formation of a statewide task force charged with examining current research, CHW models, curricula, and best practices to build a sustainable marketplace for Community Health Workers. The effort was strategically aligned with the Governor-appointed Cancer Control and Research Advisory Council (CCRAB), reinforcing its commitment to evidence-based public health advancement.
Each year, the Florida Community Health Worker Coalition identifies priority populations and examines the unique health challenges and social and economic barriers they face. This information is then systematically shared with the co-chairs and members of the subgroups—Policy & Workforce Development, Curriculum & Practice, Networking & Communications, and Research & Sustainability—so these teams can collaboratively identify evidence-based strategies for achieving the best possible health outcomes. Our subgroups center the voices of CHWs and those they serve, advancing our holistic commitment to connection, care, and community. Beyond convening, these subgroups shape our understanding of key issues, guide the development of action plans, and ensure every initiative is both community-led and CHW-focused.
We are intentional in cultivating partnerships across local, state, and federal levels, recognizing that collaboration is essential to integrating Community Health Workers into systems of care.
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER?
A Community Health Worker or CHW is...
A frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the CHW to serve as a link between services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
CHWs go by many names...
Promotoras de Salud, care coordinators, peer educator, navigator, community health advocates, health educator, peer support specialist, outreach worker, community connector, lay health workers, among others job titles.
We serve in many roles...
Navigating complex insurance applications, finding food assistance, accessing services for older adults or family members with disabilities, we educate and screen for chronic health conditions, etc.
We practice...
We practice active listening recognizing the dignity of all and fostering empathy.
OUR VISION
To champion the Community Health Worker profession through collaborative partnerships, advocacy, training, and improving access across sectors of care and resources —strengthening the workforce where it begins: in the community.
OUR MISSION
Our mission as a statewide, multisector partnership, is to advocate for and promotes the Community Health Worker (CHW) profession. We are committed to supporting uninsured and underinsured communities disproportionately affected by disparities. Through collaboration, training, advocacy, and leadership, we empower CHWs to address health-related needs, strengthen access to care, and connect individuals to culturally responsive resources and services.
By fostering integration of CHWs into community care continuum and health care systems, we help to improve outcomes in communities, and build a more connected, informed, and resilient workforce.
