CCOSC - the story
Following initial funding from the South Carolina General Assembly, this initiative has been renewed for a fourth year with funding provided by the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to support an expanded focus on addressing existing health inequities in our state and reducing cost of care through the creation of a Community Health Worker (CHW) Pilot Program. Funding for this pilot is being implemented by the Center for Community Health Alignment (CCHA) with evaluation conducted by the Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (CARE). CCHA has partnered with organizations across the state to improve the health of underserved individuals in South Carolina through Community Health Workers (CHWs).
In alignment with yearly project goals, we also also currently have a five-year plan which encompasses two more years of the pilot complemented by proposed policy changes that allow for the expansion and sustainability of CHW services. Click on the bars below to learn more about the goals for each year.
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Year 1
In Year 1 (2021-2022), the pilot funded twenty-one (21) CHWs across 12 organizations located statewide, as well as three additional technical assistance providers. CCHA identified and selected these sites, provided ongoing technical assistance to support effective CHW models and data collection, oversaw project implementation, and coordinated communication between administrative and participating entities.
Data captured in the initial 1-year period reflected over 2,500 patients served through nearly 5,000 separate encounters. CHWs provided a range of services, including, but not limited to: application assistance, referrals to support identified social determinants of health, vaccine scheduling, patient advocacy, community and patient relationship building, and health education. The first annual report was provided by the CRPH evaluation team in early 2023.
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Year 2 (2022-2023) data collection continued through October 31st, 2023. Alongside the addition of a new health topic, perinatal health, twenty-three (23) CHWs from 14 community organization partners will help improve the health of South Carolinians, with coverage in all 46 counties.
CCHA maintained the same roles as in year 1, with the addition of assuming administrative responsibilities. CCHA and CRPH will support partners in continuing to demonstrate the ongoing, day-to-day impact of CHWs; corresponding data collected during the pilot period is expected to translate to improved long-term health outcomes and decreased medical spending.
To align with shifts in partner focus as well as project-wide revised priorities for data and reporting, year 2 also saw the addition of the perinatal health topic as well as discontinuation of the immunizations topic.
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Year 3 (2023-2024) involved participation of 19 CHWs from 12 organizations across the state participating. To more accurately capture the day-to-day impact of CHWs, evaluation processes in year 3 and moving forward were shifted to prioritize referrals, CHW core roles/services, needs identified, and needs addressed in addition to existing indicators.
In year 3, the pediatric asthma topic was also discontinued.
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Year 4 (2024-2015) is currently in progress, continuing with participation from 9 implementing organizations, 2 external technical assistance providers, and evaluation through USC’s Center for Research and Evaluation (CARE).