Designing Information Flow with Diverse Community Health Workers to Improve Public Health Situational Awareness During COVID-19

Okusanya, Temitayo R.; Gresser, Jane; Stevenson, Michael; Kumar, Ajay; Haque, M. Romael; Franco, Zeno

Abstract

Community health workers (CHWs) play a vital role in connecting communities, healthcare systems, and crisis response authorities. During a public health crisis, minority populations face increased disease and economic burdens, making adherence to health guidelines challenging. Despite numerous efforts to mitigate these impacts, the effectiveness is greatly compromised by communication gaps between communities and health authorities. Our study strategically employs the collaboration of CHWs and simple technology (Zoho Forms) to bridge gaps and enhance information flow between diverse hard-to-reach communities and public health authorities. We emphasize the unique contributions of CHWs to disaster response and the benefits of equipping CHWs with simple technology for effective communication during a public health crisis. Our work improved COVID-19 guidelines adherence, reducing infection spread while addressing critical mental health and resource needs within the communities served.

Keywords
Community Health Workers (CHWs); COVID-19; Information Management; Public health; Crisis Response; Simple Technology; Diverse Communities