The Community Health Worker - realizing the value of Australia’s next health workforce

In the years to come, as the older population increases this demand is expected to grow, with significant flow-on effects on the wider community's need for acute care and the clinical workforce. Drawing from her own professional experience, Sarah recognised the value of a nonclinical, well-trained workforce and directed her applied research toward finding further evidence to support this. Sarah's Fellowship involved exploring the achievements of three organisations in the United States and Canada, where the role of the community health worker thrives and successfully integrates with health systems to help keep individuals in their own environments, avoiding hospital admissions unless acute intervention is necessary. These learnings led her to develop two key recommendations, which build upon the strong foundations already in place.