Project ECHO COVID-19: Vulnerable Populations and Telehealth Early in the Pandemic.

Introduction/objectives: Project ECHO COVID-19 was launched nationwide on March 4, 2020 to disseminate guidance about COVID-19 in a timely and scalable manner to meet the urgent needs of primary care settings, the first line of defense in a pandemic.

Methods: Data from post-session surveys were analyzed to assess participant satisfaction, knowledge gaps, change in knowledge, and anticipated changes in practice as a result of Project ECHO COVID-19. A content analysis was conducted of the 243 questions and concerns posted by over 2000 participants in the Question and Answer function of Zoom during the first 8 sessions (March 4-April 29, 2020).

A mixed methods evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of a pilot project ECHO for community health workers (CHWs).

Background: Despite the positive effects of community health workers (CHWs) on addressing social determinants of health, improving patient health outcomes, and decreasing overall healthcare costs, there is a lack of standardization in training and certifying this workforce, resulting in different approaches to integrating this role into medical home models. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the application of Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) in enhancing CHWs' capacity to address health and social issues of vulnerable populations.

Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was applied in which all participants ( = 49) completed pre (January 2019) and post (July 2019) quantitative online surveys measuring changes in self-efficacy, behavior change intent, and knowledge.