Headline
Evaluation shares health, social, emotional, and financial outcomes of community health worker programs provided to older adults in Texas.
Background
Community health workers are members of the communities they serve and provide culturally responsive services such as insurance navigation, application assistance for public benefits programs, and aging services. This report presents an impact evaluation of community health worker programs delivered by MHP Salud, a Texas nonprofit organization, serving 3,000 older adults aged 50 and over.
Findings
The results of the evaluation were informed by interviews with MHP Salud community health workers and an analysis of program data from 2023. Most older adults served by MHP Salud had less than a high school education, were below the federal poverty line, belonged to a single-person household, identified as Hispanic/Latino, and were female. The impact of these programs included:
- A range of 16-39% improvement in addressed health-related social needs, such as translation services, food access, and support with utility payments;
- Community health workers helped secure approximately $8 million of Medicaid and Medicare care and services, as well as other public benefits that improved economic and food security and improved levels of stress and emotional wellness.
- Over 3,200 outreach activities were completed during the evaluation period, where building trust, providing services in public spaces, and facilitating digital literacy education were most helpful in maintaining strong engagement; and
- Participants enjoyed the social connections built with community health workers. Ongoing communication and rapport can reduce attrition with these programs.
The report concludes with recommendations on how to best connect community health workers with older adults to improve trust and increase access to services.
Policy/Program Takeaways
Community health worker programs aimed at supporting older adults can positively impact several areas of an individual’s well-being. Organizations with similar programs can reference this report to help communicate their impact with the communities they serve.