To strengthen the public health response to COVID-19, we need community health workers

The public health system is a critical firewall to reduce community spread of COVID-19 and to relieve the unsustainable pressure the US health care system is experiencing as a result of the pandemic. Community health workers (CHWs)—frontline public health staff who conduct outreach and build trust with vulnerable populations in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), hospitals, public health agencies, and through community-based organizations—have a particularly important role to play.