Penn is working with Philadelphia community health workers to help residents manage chronic conditions.
The initiative has reached more than 150 residents since receiving a $5.5 million National Institutes of Health grant in 2024. It trains community health workers to lead group sessions on cardiovascular health and connect patients with resources to address barriers to care.
Part of the Philadelphia Community Engagement Alliance, the program focuses on cardiovascular health, an area where Philadelphia faces significant disparities. Community health workers help residents address needs that can make managing chronic conditions more difficult — including finding housing, accessing food, paying utility bills, getting to medical appointments, and obtaining health insurance.
“Managing these kinds of chronic health conditions, especially the ones related to heart health, is not super simple,” Penn Nursing assistant professor Stephen Bonnet said in an interview. “It’s not like going to the hospital when you break a bone. It’s something that you actually have to manage on a daily basis.”
The initiative is a partnership between Penn Nursing and the Philadelphia Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity. It builds on previous work connecting residents with COVID-19 testing, vaccination and treatment.
Other “social needs,” such as affording rent or not having health insurance, make it “really hard to do the nitty-gritty of doing the best to promote your own heart health,” Bonnet said.
More than 10 community health workers have been trained through the program, which continues to recruit participants.
Early data suggests the program is reaching residents with multiple health and social needs. The average participant is managing approximately four distinct social needs and two heart-related health issues. Those interested in the heart health program can enroll in a group that meets for nine sessions.
Participants also meet with a nurse at the beginning and end of the program to measure their blood pressure and cholesterol. Bonnet said the team does not yet have enough data to determine whether there have been measurable improvements in those indicators. The measurements are primarily intended to help participants track their own health.
Community Engagement Alliance Interim Program Manager Sheila Jones described community health workers as central to the initiative.
“As Philadelphians themselves, our CHWs bring valuable community knowledge and lived experience to their work,” Jones wrote in a statement.
“These early indicators show that the impact goes beyond health education,” Jones added. “Residents are building relationships with trusted CHWs, accessing resources, overcoming barriers to care, and gaining greater confidence in managing their health.”
She also reported early improvements in participants’ A1c and blood pressure levels. Those improvements, however, have not yet been established as measurable outcomes. Bonnet said the team is still collecting data and that the measurements are not among the study’s primary research outcomes.
In a statement, Penn Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel — one of the study’s principal investigators — wrote that the initiative’s greatest progress has been its continued partnership with the city to reach residents managing chronic illness.
“This initiative underscores that living well with a chronic condition goes beyond treating a medical diagnosis,” Villarruel wrote. “It truly takes a community to provide the support and resources needed to manage a condition that lingers well beyond a visit to a specialist/primary care provider. For Penn Nursing, being part of this community means having the opportunity to support those who provide that care every day.”
Staff reporter Saanvi Ram covers science and health and can be reached at [email protected]. At Penn, she studies health and societies. Follow her on X @Saanvi_vivi.
Source: www.thedp.com
