Overview

Essential workers hold critical occupations that support the health, safety, and well-being of a community during a crisis. Yet, they live and often work in densely populated settings with limited abilities to isolate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, essential workers faced higher risks of infections and side effects. Health centers were and are their primary providers.

The CDC’s NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health) and NACHC partnered with health centers to implement standardized occupational data codes and methods to collect Occupational Data for Health (ODH) during intake and establish an electronic definition of “essential worker” for use in health centers. Health centers engaged in this effort learned that occupation, as a social driver of health, is an important piece of information for personalized care plans, population health management, and public health initiatives at workplaces – especially for essential workers.

Here we offer resources and stories to guide health centers, PCAs, and HCCNs on how to collect, analyze, and use Occupational Data for Health.