Community Mobilization and Home Visits: Key Pillars of the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Program in Ghana

The program's main goal is to bring essential services closer to the community and deprived subdistricts, with the ultimate aim of achieving universal health care coverage and bridging the equity gap in access to health care by 2030. Community ownership and participation are key elements in successful CHPS implementation. The on-the-ground CHPS implementer is the community health officer (CHO), who is a trained and oriented community health nurse, midwife, or enrolled nurse. The CHO is placed at a CHPS compound, which serves as both accommodations for the CHO and as the service delivery point for the immediate community. The CHO's main services include home visits, preventive care, health education and promotion, and referral. CHPS provides basic maternal and child health care services and minor curative services. Community mobilization and home visits are two key pillars of the CHPS program in Ghana. Community mobilization is essential to encourage a community's ownership and initiative to implement CHPS. The CHO plays a crucial role in community mobilization, working closely with community health committees, village leaders, volunteers, and district health management teams to engage the community and promote CHPS services. In the Abotanso CHPS zone, a community health management committee (CHMC) consisting of 11 members was established to oversee the implementation of CHPS services. The CHMC worked closely with the CHO and other CHPS staff to mobilize the community and promote CHPS services. The CHO and CHMC members conducted regular home visits to provide health education and promote CHPS services to community members. The CHPS program in Ghana has made significant progress in improving health outcomes and increasing access to health care services. The program has been successful in engaging communities and promoting ownership and participation in health care delivery. The CHPS compound serves as a hub for health care services, providing a range of services including home visits, preventive care, health education and promotion, and referral. The CHPS program in Ghana has also been successful in improving maternal and child health outcomes. The program has increased access to antenatal care, skilled delivery, and postnatal care, resulting in a significant reduction in maternal and child mortality rates. The program has also improved access to immunization services, resulting in a significant increase in immunization coverage rates. The CHPS program in Ghana has been supported by the Maternal Child Survival Program (MCSP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The MCSP has worked closely with the Ghana Health Service to develop a set of case studies highlighting best practices in CHPS program implementation. The case studies provide valuable insights into the implementation of CHPS services and highlight the importance of community mobilization and home visits in promoting health care delivery.