Quality Life Blueprint works closely with national, state and local agencies and community based organizations across the country to advance the profession of Community Health Workers (CHW) in Violence Prevention.

"A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. A community health worker also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy."

-- American Public Health Association Community Health Workers. Published 2009.

Listen to this excerpt from WHQR's Cape Fear Rundown, where Camille Mojica interviews Abdul Hafeedh Bin Abdullah about Community Health Workers at Sokoto House.

Community Health Workers at Sokoto House in their own words.

In June of 2022, a literature review was published for Community Health Worker Activities in Public Health Programs to Prevent Violence: Coding Roles and Scope. This study of CHW activities in violence prevention public health programs, and their core roles in public health programs to address multiple forms of violence, was co-authored by Abdul Hafeedh Bin Abdullah.

View the full lit review (PDF)

During the American Public Health Association (APHA) 150th anniversary conference on November 8, 2022, a new Community Health Worker (CHW) policy, co-authored by Abdul Hafeedh Bin Abdullah, addressing equity and violence prevention was passed. Policy Number 20227: A Strategy to Address Racism and Violence as Public Health Priorities: Community Health Workers Advancing Equity & Violence Prevention directly connects with CPrV© and our work in training CHW-VPPs.

The following links contain more information and examples of CHW in action.

• It's In My Veins: Exploring the Role of an Afrocentric, Popular Education-Based Training Program in the Empowerment of African American and African Community Health Workers in Oregon (PDF)
• Placemaking to Reduce Youth Violence
• "Silence the Violence" Youth Rally

Interested in being trained as a CHW-VPP? Keep checking the information and signup page at sokotohouse.org for the next training session!