Reports
The IHS Community Health Representative (CHR) program reports focus on evaluating and analyzing the efforts of CHRs, a national workforce of frontline public health workers who play a vital role in improving healthcare access and outcomes in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. These reports highlight the contributions of CHRs in delivering outreach, education, informal counseling, social support, patient-centered care, and advocacy services. Through collaboration with tribal partners, policymakers, and community health stakeholders, these reports provide actionable insights, define key trends, and offer recommendations for strengthening CHR efforts. While not setting policies, they contribute to enhancing the health and wellness of AI/AN individuals, families, and communities by guiding effective health strategies and community capacity building.
IHS Program Evaluation Services CHR Evaluation Final Report [PDF 1.35 MB]
This report presents findings from an evaluation of the IHS CHR program using four components: a literature review and overview of congressional testimony, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and a survey. While evaluation respondents (including IHS leadership, CHRs, IHS Area CHR Representatives) see the CHR program as critical to the provision of culturally appropriate health care, they also shared challenges that may influence the program’s perceived impact. The report includes feedback and recommendations to help mitigate these challenges that emerged from the evaluation findings.
CHR Online Training Report [PDF 308 KB]
As a result of the change in mode of delivery of CHR training from in-person to web-based, the CHR program decided to evaluate the effectiveness of the online training by obtaining data from participants who have completed the CHR Basic online training. The purpose of this evaluation is to inform decision making aimed at improving training content as well as contributing to best practices for implementing CHR training.
