TY - JOUR AU - Q. O. Hood AU - N. Irvine AU - K. Shah AU - S. H. Ali AU - T. A. Mezzacca AU - M. Serrano AU - L. E. Thorpe AU - T. T. K. Huang AU - M. R. Khan AU - N. Islam A1 - AB - BACKGROUND: Despite the potential for community health worker (CHW)-led programs to improve the health of people with justice involvement (PWJI), little is known about the practical implementation of such models. We explored barriers and facilitators to implementation of a municipal CHW program, the Health Justice Network (NYC HJN), led by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) in partnership with three reentry-focused community-based organizations (CBOs) and three federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) that was designed to serve the health and social service needs of PWJI. METHODS: Eighteen in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of CHWs, partner site supervisors, and DOHMH staff. Interviews were conducted virtually and transcribed verbatim. Codes and themes were developed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to understand facilitators and barriers to NYC HJN implementation. RESULTS: Important facilitators to implementation included: lived experience of CHWs, as well as NYC HJN's voluntary nature, lack of onerous eligibility criteria, and prioritization of participant needs. One barrier was the lack of a formal implementation protocol. Themes identified as facilitators in some instances and barriers in others were CHW integration into site partners, the expansive scope of work for CHWs, the integration of a trauma-informed approach, values alignment and existing infrastructure, leadership engagement, CHW training and support, and input, feedback, and communication. CONCLUSIONS: Findings will help inform how to successfully implement future CHW-led interventions for PWJI with municipal, health, and social service partners. AD - New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Health Promotion for Justice-Impacted Populations, Queens, NY, USA.; Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center, New York, NY, USA.; Center for Systems and Community Design, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York, NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center, New York, NY, USA.; Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center, New York, NY, USA. nadia.islam@nyulangone.org. AN - 39425238 BT - Implement Sci Commun C5 - Healthcare Disparities; Education & Workforce CP - 1 DA - Oct 18 DO - 10.1186/s43058-024-00653-1 DP - NLM ET - 20241018 IS - 1 JF - Implement Sci Commun LA - eng N2 - BACKGROUND: Despite the potential for community health worker (CHW)-led programs to improve the health of people with justice involvement (PWJI), little is known about the practical implementation of such models. We explored barriers and facilitators to implementation of a municipal CHW program, the Health Justice Network (NYC HJN), led by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) in partnership with three reentry-focused community-based organizations (CBOs) and three federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) that was designed to serve the health and social service needs of PWJI. METHODS: Eighteen in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of CHWs, partner site supervisors, and DOHMH staff. Interviews were conducted virtually and transcribed verbatim. Codes and themes were developed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to understand facilitators and barriers to NYC HJN implementation. RESULTS: Important facilitators to implementation included: lived experience of CHWs, as well as NYC HJN's voluntary nature, lack of onerous eligibility criteria, and prioritization of participant needs. One barrier was the lack of a formal implementation protocol. Themes identified as facilitators in some instances and barriers in others were CHW integration into site partners, the expansive scope of work for CHWs, the integration of a trauma-informed approach, values alignment and existing infrastructure, leadership engagement, CHW training and support, and input, feedback, and communication. CONCLUSIONS: Findings will help inform how to successfully implement future CHW-led interventions for PWJI with municipal, health, and social service partners. PY - 2024 SN - 2662-2211 SP - 118 ST - A qualitative exploration of the implementation facilitators and challenges of a community health worker program to address health disparities for people recently released from incarceration using the consolidated framework for implementation research T1 - A qualitative exploration of the implementation facilitators and challenges of a community health worker program to address health disparities for people recently released from incarceration using the consolidated framework for implementation research T2 - Implement Sci Commun TI - A qualitative exploration of the implementation facilitators and challenges of a community health worker program to address health disparities for people recently released from incarceration using the consolidated framework for implementation research U1 - Healthcare Disparities; Education & Workforce U3 - 10.1186/s43058-024-00653-1 VL - 5 VO - 2662-2211 Y1 - 2024 ER -