Eligibility and Criteria
The Heroes in Health Awards (HIHA) wants to recognize and honour the outstanding service, dedication, and excellence of individuals and groups of individuals who serve their communities as Community Health Workers (CHWs).
The APHA definition of a CHW is: “A frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the CHW to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.” CHWs may use other titles (e.g. Community Health Extension Workers, Village Health Teams, Para-Social Workers, Outreach Worker, etc.).
A community health worker also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counselling, social support and advocacy. We encourage you to nominate anyone who fits the above description! We’re counting on you to share the stories of the CHWs you know who are going above and beyond to empower their communities.