Community-centered pathways to care: culturally specific community health workers (CHWs) and primary care access for underserved communities in Oregon

Culturally specific CHWs serve as trusted frontline professionals who bridge cultural and systemic gaps to advance health equity and yet their full potential in clinical settings remains underutilized. Understanding their scope of practice is essential to identifying opportunities for greater integration into clinical care. The study objective is to examine the scope of practice of culturally specific CHWs in Oregon and assess their role in improving primary care.