A qualitative exploration of the implementation facilitators and challenges of a community health worker program to address health disparities for people recently released from incarceration using the consolidated framework for implementation research

Quinn O Hood; Natalia Irvine; Krina Shah; Shahmir H Ali; Tamar Adjoian Mezzacca; Michael Serrano; Lorna E Thorpe; Terry T K Huang; Maria R Khan; Nadia Islam

doi:10.1186/s43058-024-00653-1

A qualitative exploration of the implementation facilitators and challenges of a community health worker program to address health disparities for people recently released from incarceration using the consolidated framework for implementation research

Implement Sci Commun. 2024 Oct 18;5(1):118. doi: 10.1186/s43058-024-00653-1.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Health Promotion for Justice-Impacted Populations, Queens, NY, USA.
² Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center, New York, NY, USA.
³ Center for Systems and Community Design, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York, NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center, New York, NY, USA.
⁴ Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center, New York, NY, USA. nadia.islam@nyulangone.org.

Abstract

Background: Despite the potential for community health worker (CHW)-led programs to improve the health of people with justice involvement (PWJI), little is known about the practical implementation of such models. We explored barriers and facilitators to implementation of a municipal CHW program, the Health Justice Network (NYC HJN), led by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) in partnership with three reentry-focused community-based organizations (CBOs) and three federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) that was designed to serve the health and social service needs of PWJI.

Methods: Eighteen in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of CHWs, partner site supervisors, and DOHMH staff. Interviews were conducted virtually and transcribed verbatim. Codes and themes were developed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to understand facilitators and barriers to NYC HJN implementation.

Results: Important facilitators to implementation included: lived experience of CHWs, as well as NYC HJN's voluntary nature, lack of onerous eligibility criteria, and prioritization of participant needs. One barrier was the lack of a formal implementation protocol. Themes identified as facilitators in some instances and barriers in others were CHW integration into site partners, the expansive scope of work for CHWs, the integration of a trauma-informed approach, values alignment and existing infrastructure, leadership engagement, CHW training and support, and input, feedback, and communication.

Conclusions: Findings will help inform how to successfully implement future CHW-led interventions for PWJI with municipal, health, and social service partners.

Keywords: Community health workers; Community-clinical linkage; Health equity; Incarceration; People with justice involvement (PWJI); Primary health care; Reentry; Social services; Structural racism.