TY - JOUR
T1 - “Too Many Jobs and Not Enough Hands”
T2 - Immigrant and Refugee Community Health Workers at the Frontlines of the COVID-19 Pandemic
AU - Bearss, Brittany
AU - Martin, Alexandra
AU - Dorsey Vinton, Sheila
AU - Chaidez, Virginia
AU - Palmer-Wackerly, Angela L.
AU - Mollard, Elizabeth
AU - Edison-Soe, Lanetta
AU - Chan, Nyabuoy
AU - Estrada Gonzalez, Evelyn
AU - Carter, Ma’Kiya
AU - Coburn, Katelyn
AU - Xia, Yan
AU - Tippens, Julie A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2024/1
Y1 - 2024/1
N2 - Refugees and immigrants have experienced heightened health inequities related to COVID-19. As community-embedded frontline health personnel, refugee and immigrant community health workers (riCHWs) played essential roles in the provision of informational, instrumental, and emotional support during the unprecedented first year of the pandemic. Despite the importance of this workforce, riCHWs are at high risk for burnout due to low recognition and demanding workloads. This was exacerbated as riCHWs navigated a new and uncertain health delivery landscape. We sought to glean insight into riCHWs’ stressors, coping strategies and resources, and self-efficacy to identify ways to support their work and wellbeing. Using a narrative inquiry approach, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 11 riCHWs working in a midsized city in the midwestern United States. We generated three distinct yet interrelated themes: (1) Rapid and trustworthy information is key, (2) Creativity and perseverance are good … structural support is better, and (3) Integrating riCHW expertise into health promotion programming and decision-making. Although riCHWs were deeply committed to enhancing community wellbeing, quickly shifting responsibilities in tandem with structural-level health inequities diminished their self-efficacy and mental health. riCHWs relied on work-based friends/colleagues for informational and emotional support to enhance their capacity to deliver services. Findings suggest increasing opportunities for peer support and idea-exchange, professional development, and integration of riCHW expertise in health promotion decision-making are effective strategies to enhance riCHWs’ professional self-efficacy and personal wellbeing.
AB - Refugees and immigrants have experienced heightened health inequities related to COVID-19. As community-embedded frontline health personnel, refugee and immigrant community health workers (riCHWs) played essential roles in the provision of informational, instrumental, and emotional support during the unprecedented first year of the pandemic. Despite the importance of this workforce, riCHWs are at high risk for burnout due to low recognition and demanding workloads. This was exacerbated as riCHWs navigated a new and uncertain health delivery landscape. We sought to glean insight into riCHWs’ stressors, coping strategies and resources, and self-efficacy to identify ways to support their work and wellbeing. Using a narrative inquiry approach, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 11 riCHWs working in a midsized city in the midwestern United States. We generated three distinct yet interrelated themes: (1) Rapid and trustworthy information is key, (2) Creativity and perseverance are good … structural support is better, and (3) Integrating riCHW expertise into health promotion programming and decision-making. Although riCHWs were deeply committed to enhancing community wellbeing, quickly shifting responsibilities in tandem with structural-level health inequities diminished their self-efficacy and mental health. riCHWs relied on work-based friends/colleagues for informational and emotional support to enhance their capacity to deliver services. Findings suggest increasing opportunities for peer support and idea-exchange, professional development, and integration of riCHW expertise in health promotion decision-making are effective strategies to enhance riCHWs’ professional self-efficacy and personal wellbeing.
KW - COVID-19
KW - burnout
KW - health workforce
KW - mutual assistance
KW - sense of community
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85174461480&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85174461480&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/10497323231204741
DO - 10.1177/10497323231204741
M3 - Article
C2 - 37863477
AN - SCOPUS:85174461480
SN - 1049-7323
VL - 34
SP - 86
EP - 100
JO - Qualitative Health Research
JF - Qualitative Health Research
IS - 1-2
ER -