Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCR)

Overview and Mission

Launched in August 2021, CDC’s Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCR) initiative provides financial support and technical assistance to 68 states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, and health service providers to tribes.

Community health workers (CHWs) are frontline public health workers who are trusted members of the community they serve. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a link between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve service delivery.

Public health crises, such as COVID-19, worsen existing health disparities. CHWs are well-positioned to reach communities hit hardest by COVID-19, stop the spread of COVID-19, and move toward health equity.

About the Funding Opportunities

The CCR initiative consists of two funding opportunities intended to put more trained CHWs in communities that have been hit hardest by COVID-19 and among populations at high risk for COVID-19 exposure, infection, and illness.

Intended communities are those with high rates of COVID-19 and long-standing health disparities related to race, income, geographic location, or other sociodemographic characteristics. Intended populations are those at high risk because of their race or ethnicity, income, incarceration, homelessness, or medical conditions.