Community Health Workers and Peer Specialists: Key Roles in Addressing Diabetes Control Before and During COVID-19 Health Pandemic

Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Peer Specialists leverage their strong understanding of the community as they advance diabetes care for special and vulnerable populations who may experience barriers to accessing quality health care. It is this understanding of the needs in the local environment that has strengthened the ability of CHWs and Peer Specialists (CHW/Peer Specialists) to implement diabetes care programs and protocols as their communities experienced new demands and challenges as the result of the onset of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis during 2020. This issue brief showcases the important role of frontline CHW/Peer Specialists maintaining connections with the community for diabetes control, especially in the time of a health pandemic.