Approximately half of the world’s population do not have access to essential health services… A growing emphasis on the roles of communities recognizes community engagement, including community health workers (CHWs), as a means of realizing the full potential of PHC and the broader health system. CHW-delivered services are an integral component of responsive, accessible, equitable, and high-quality PHC.
We underscore the significance of this special issue of Global Health: Science and Practice on community health, the first of its kind in the journal. The breadth of knowledge presented in this supplement exemplifies the progress made and persisting challenges in the global movement to redefine health systems and revitalize community-based PHC in the next decade. The 15 articles included in this supplement detail implementation experiences of designing, deploying, improving, scaling, and strengthening community health initiatives in PHC…more
