Community health worker programs have the potential to improve patient well-being and reduce health care costs by facilitating the use of community resources and addressing social determinants of health. The long-term sustainability of CHW programs is linked to the degree to which program costs are offset by program benefits.

There is a general sense from peer-reviewed literature that CHW programs are cost effective, but it is unclear how broadly these results can be applied^1,2,20. A broad analysis of CHW programs would be complicated by their many different potential configurations. Programs can differ according to the targeted client population, the scope of services included, size, organizational structure, and the ways groups that pay for CHW programs are linked to groups that benefit from CHW services.

With programs that focus on social determinants of health, outcome measurement may be more difficult because of the complex causes of many social issues.

For example, programs addressing social determinants often cover: