Individual (s) who (I) applies his or her unique understanding of the populations he or she serves to promote healthy living and to help people take greater control over their health and lives and (II) is trained to work in a variety of community settings, partnering in the delivery of health and human services to carry out one or more of the following roles: (a) providing culturally appropriate health education and information; (b) linking people to direct service providers, including informal counseling; (c) advocating for individual and community needs, including identification of gaps and existing strengths and actively building individual and community  – As defined by the Virginia CHW Advisory the Group.

Community Health Worker roles can be categorized as: