Community Health Workers as Trusted Messengers: Strengthening the Community Health Information Ecosystem
July 16, 2026
Learning What Works to Foster Trusted and Effective Communication Channels
Community health workers (CHWs) are among the most trusted sources of health information, yet they often lack reliable systems for receiving, validating, and sharing timely guidance. This report examines how health information flows to, through, and from CHWs in Cook County, Illinois, and identifies strategies to strengthen the community health information ecosystem.
Key Findings
- Community health workers are among the most trusted messengers within their communities.
- CHWs routinely validate, interpret, and adapt health information before sharing it.
- Information systems remain fragmented and inconsistent across organizations.
- CHWs rely on both professional and personal community relationships to distribute trusted information.
- Better infrastructure, governance, and financing are needed to support sustainable information sharing.
This new report, Enabling Trusted Messengers within the Community Health Information Ecosystem, examines how public health information, guidance, and resources reach, are interpreted by, and flow through community health workers (CHWs), with a focus on Cook County. Developed by Health Management Associates with support from Michael Reese Health Trust and Community Memorial Foundation, the assessment reflects insights from community health workers and their employers, as well as advocates and program leaders designing the systems that support CHW integration within the healthcare system. The report explores the role of CHWs as trusted messengers, health educators, and connectors between healthcare, public health agencies, community-based organizations, and the communities they serve. We highlight the essential contributions of CHWs to public health communication, community engagement, and health equity.
The report describes how CHWs receive, validate, translate, and share trusted health information with individuals and families, and how the community insights they gather are used to help inform healthcare organizations, public health systems, and policymakers. It examines the broader community health information ecosystem and identifies opportunities for focused investment, improved coordination, stronger health infrastructure, and formal processes that strengthen the bidirectional flow of health information among CHWs, healthcare providers, public health agencies, community-based organizations, and the communities they serve. The findings also explore how stronger information sharing can improve care coordination, support social care integration, and advance health outcomes.
The report is especially timely given Illinois’ implementation of a new Community Health Worker Medicaid benefit, development of a statewide Social Health Care Network, and regional hubs designed to coordinate and support the delivery of social health services through community-based organizations. These initiatives represent an important opportunity to strengthen the community health information ecosystem, improve coordination across healthcare and social service systems, and build a more connected, community-centered model of care.
Findings underscore that CHWs are trusted messengers—”the voice of the community”—who often operate within fragmented, rapidly changing information environments where health misinformation, inconsistent guidance, and outdated resources create barriers to effective communication. Stakeholders described the burden of navigating unreliable information, noting that “sometimes I’m scanning the internet and the information is not up-to-date” and that “there is no one way” to access current guidance. The findings also demonstrate that CHWs do far more than deliver messages; they interpret and adapt health information, making it meaningful and actionable through trusted relationships in their work and communities. As one CHW explained, “I carry materials in my purse.”
The report offers practical recommendations for strengthening the systems that support CHWs and the broader community health information ecosystem, including trusted message validation, timely dissemination channels, multilingual and culturally grounded communication, resource verification, community feedback loops, workforce development, shared governance, and sustainable financing. Ultimately, the report concludes that strengthening the CHW information ecosystem is not simply a communications initiative, but a broader strategy for building trust, strengthening the workforce, and advancing health equity. Aligning public health, healthcare, community-based workforce, and philanthropic investments can help Cook County and Illinois partners build a more accurate, responsive, equitable, and sustainable system that improves access to care, strengthens community trust, and delivers better health outcomes.
What You’ll Learn
This report answers questions including:
- What role do community health workers play in public health communication?
- How do CHWs identify trusted health information?
- What are the biggest barriers to sharing accurate health information in communities?
- How can healthcare organizations better support community health workers?
- What is a community health information ecosystem?
- How can states prepare for Medicaid reimbursement of CHWs?
- What are best practices for trusted messengers in public health?
- How can public health agencies improve community trust?
Recommendations
The report recommends:
- Creating trusted message validation processes
- Establishing centralized dissemination channels
- Supporting multilingual and culturally responsive communication
- Improving resource verification
- Building feedback loops between communities and health systems
- Investing in CHW workforce development
- Developing shared governance models
- Supporting sustainable financing
Who Should Read This Report
This report is designed for:
- Public health agencies
- Medicaid agencies
- Health systems
- Community health workers
- Community-based organizations
- Foundations
- Health policy leaders
- Health equity professionals
- Healthcare executives
- State policymakers
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Community Health Information Ecosystem?
A community health information ecosystem is the network of organizations, people, technologies, and communication channels that create, share, validate, interpret, and use health information across communities, healthcare organizations, public health agencies, and community-based organizations.
Why are community health workers considered trusted messengers?
Community health workers are trusted because they have deep relationships within the communities they serve. They often share lived experiences, understand local cultures and languages, and help translate complex health information into culturally relevant guidance. Their trusted relationships make them essential partners in improving public health communication and advancing health equity.
What challenges do community health workers face when sharing health information?
The report found that CHWs often work in fragmented and rapidly changing information environments. They frequently navigate inconsistent guidance, outdated resources, and multiple sources of information while responding to community needs. Many also spend significant time translating information, verifying resources, and adapting messages to ensure they are accurate, culturally appropriate, and actionable.
What recommendations does the report make?
The report recommends strengthening the systems that support community health workers by improving trusted message validation, creating more effective information-sharing channels, supporting multilingual and culturally grounded communications, verifying community resources, strengthening feedback loops between communities and institutions, investing in the CHW workforce, establishing shared governance, and creating sustainable financing models.
Why is this report especially relevant for Illinois?
Illinois is implementing several major initiatives that will reshape how community health workers and community-based organizations support residents, including a new Community Health Worker Medicaid benefit, a statewide Social Health Care Network, and regional hubs that coordinate social health services. The report provides practical insights that can help inform these efforts and strengthen collaboration across healthcare, public health, and community organizations.
How does strengthening the community health information ecosystem improve health outcomes?
A stronger community health information ecosystem helps ensure that accurate, timely, and culturally responsive health information reaches communities through trusted relationships. It also creates better pathways for community feedback to inform healthcare and public health decision-making, leading to more responsive services, stronger community trust, improved access to care, and better health outcomes.
Bottom line: Strengthening the community health information ecosystem requires more than better communications. It requires investing in community health workers as trusted messengers, improving information infrastructure, supporting bidirectional communication between communities and institutions, and building sustainable systems that advance health equity.