{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T17:32:06Z","timestamp":1786383126493,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786060800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786060800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000050","name":"National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["OT2HL158287"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["OT2HL158287"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000050","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Health Educ Behav"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Community health workers (CHWs) serve as bridges between clinical care and community-based social support, yet they are often excluded from the design of the health interventions they implement. User Journey Mapping (UJM) is a tool that can enhance health behavior interventions and their implementation. As part of formative planning for the Philadelphia Community Engagement Alliance (Philly CEAL), we employed UJM methods to engage CHWs as co-designers in the implementation of an adapted chronic disease self-management intervention to promote heart health while addressing social needs. We conducted semi-structured interviews (\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">n<\/jats:italic>\n                    = 8) with seven CHWs and one supervisor from Philadelphia\u2019s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity. During the interviews, participants co-created visual workflow maps documenting daily tasks, emotional experiences, pain points, and opportunities. Individual maps were synthesized into comprehensive team maps and validated through follow-up sessions with the CHW team. Analysis revealed a four-part CHW process: community-based responsibilities, individual case management, in-office duties, and supervisory functions. Themes were identified related to the specialized skills and strengths associated with the CHW role, systemic challenges related to service workflows, and persistent emotional and psychological role-related stressors. UJM methods used in this formative work generated actionable insights for intervention refinement while positioning CHWs as expert co-designers rather than solely as the implementers of the intervention. The findings underscore the importance of integrating frontline expertise early in intervention planning to ensure programs are operationally efficient, emotionally attuned, and contextually grounded. We propose a set of methodological recommendations for embedding UJM within future public health planning, implementation, and evaluation efforts.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/10901981261477052","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,8]],"date-time":"2026-08-08T05:11:23Z","timestamp":1786165883000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["User Journey Mapping in Community Health Work: A Case Study From Philly CEAL"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-2770-3236","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julia","family":"Votto","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9276-2306","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 A.","family":"Bauermeister","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6640-0021","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gretel","family":"Tassah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gladys","family":"Thomas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carmen","family":"Alvarez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antonia M.","family":"Villarruel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7608-3741","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stephen","family":"Bonett","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alley D. E. Asomugha C. N. Conway P. H. Sanghavi D. M. (2016). Accountable health communities\u2014addressing social needs through Medicare and Medicaid. The New England Journal of Medicine 374(1) 8\u201311. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1056\/NEJMp1512532","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMp1512532"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Austin S. Qu H. (2024). Community health workers bridging the gap: Connecting Medicaid members with providers managed care and community-based organizations. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy 17 2949\u20132958. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2147\/RMHP.S482855","DOI":"10.2147\/RMHP.S482855"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s40900-021-00252-7"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2020.00208"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jan.15479"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ferrer R. Schlenker C. Cruz I. No\u00ebl P. Palmer R. 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Rega I. Mbae S. M. (2015). What do community health workers have to say about their work and how can this inform improved programme design? A case study with CHWs within Kenya. Global Health Action 8 27168. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3402\/gha.v8.27168","DOI":"10.3402\/gha.v8.27168"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_23_1","unstructured":"Rosenthal E. L. Menking P. St John J. Fox D. Holderby-Fox L. R. Redondo F. Hirsch G. Lee L. Brownstein J. N. Allen C. Haywood C. Ortiz Miller J. Ibarra J. Cole M. Huxley L. Palmer C. Masoud S. Uriarte J. Rush C. H. (2014). The National Council on CHW Core Consensus (C3) standards reports and website. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. https:\/\/www.c3council.org\/roles-competencies"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Theobald S. MacPherson E. McCollum R. Tolhurst R. & REACHOUT. (2015). 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