Project planning and development by official health agencies. 3. The neighborhood-based public health worker: additional manpower for community health services.

Prenatal Care Utilization and Persistence Patterns in a Developing Nation

“…Strong evidence exists concerning service benefits that accrue when indigenous paraprofessional personnel are employed in a range of health, education, mental health, and welfare settings (Domke & Coffey, 1966;Gartner, 1972;Manisoff, 1976;Richter, 1974;Ronaghy, 1976). In particular, paramedical auxiliary personnel have made positive contributions to maternal and infant health in such diverse areas as the People's Republic of China (Side], 1972) and Cuba (Navarro, 1972).…”

Continuing constraints to a preventively-oriented medical care system in the United States

“…Even today, under-utilization often exists side by side with lack of access or availability. Domke and Coffey (1966) described a program in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, utilizing neighborhood health aides to conduct door-to-door interviews, inquiring whether families are linked into and using appropriate public health services. They found that the aides, carefully selected as natural leaders, and carefully trained and supervised, were effective in identifying families in need of particular services but not utilizing them, in identifying the presence of untreated health problems, and in helping families decide to seek medical care.…”

New Staff for Public Health

“…Eight positions have been budgeted. 4. Public health assistants are primarily auxiliary workers to public health nurses in clinics and child health conferences.…”

“…It has been observed that communication with patients from some subgroups is more effective when done by patient peers or near peers than by professionals. The neighborhood worker, by using the vocabulary of the residents to explain public health services, is more able to overcome superstition and isolation and to stimulate community involvement in developing health programs to meet the neighborhood's needs (4). Such workers also can tell professionals about otherwise unknown barriers to service.…”