State Policies and Strategies that Impact Community Health Workers at Health Centers Spotlight on States # 8
Brief report includes Michigan as an example of the partnership model. The State of Michigan provides an important example of the power of collaboration and education to support CHWs. For the past several years, the Michigan Primary Care Association (MPCA) has joined forces with the Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance (MiCHWA) to develop and execute […]
Community Health Worker Certification and Financing
Using multi-disciplinary clinical teams is an important way to increase access to primary care, eliminate health disparities, and achieve the Triple Aim of better quality of care, better health for populations, and lower costs. In particular, community health workers (CHWs) are well positioned to help reduce health inequities and increase providers’ cultural competence and quality […]
Strengthening the Effectiveness of State-Level Community Health Worker Initiatives Through Ambulatory Care Partnerships
Abstract: The transformation of the US health care system and the recognition of the effectiveness of community health workers (CHWs) have accelerated national, state, and local efforts to engage CHWs in the support of vulnerable populations. Much can be learned about how to successfully integrate CHWs into health care teams, how to maximize their impact […]
Recommendations for developing and sustaining community health workers.
Summary: This report provides recommendations for the development and sustenance of community health workers. These recommendations are a result of the San Antonio Community Health Worker Summit held January 2010. Recommendations include defining the workforce, training standards, evaluating financial benefit, strategizing Medicaid reimbursement, and creating support networks. Key words: Policy, patient navigator, community health worker, […]
Identifying the Core Elements of Effective Community Health Worker Programs: A Research Agenda
Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly being incorporated into health programs because they are assumed to effectively deliver health messages in a culturally relevant manner to disenfranchised communities. Nevertheless, the role of CHWs—who they are, what they do, and how they do it—is tremendously varied. This variability presents a number of challenges for conducting research […]
Community Health Workers (CHWs) Training/Certification Standards
CHW Training/certification standards by state – map from 2017.
Fact Sheet: Community Health Worker (CHW) Certification
Fact sheet on CHW certification with an explanation of why CHWs are effective, a list of the core skills CHWs possess, an explanation of the distinctive CHW capabilities, elaboration of certification process issues and stakeholder beliefs and preconceptions, and an outline for creating a responsive certification system.
Incorporating Community Health Workers into State Health Care Systems: Options for Policymakers
Document provides examples of CHW programs from several states and lists CHW responsibilities. It also elaborates on CHW’s effect on quality and cost, CHWs and health care teams, CHWs and Medicaid, financing CHWs, and legislative action and policy considerations.
Opportunities for Community Health Workers in the Era of Health Reform
This paper begins with an assessment of the existing impediments to and enablers of the expansion of CHW employment. These include state differences in scopes of practice, the standardization of training and certification, and liability issues. It then catalogues how the ACA and other efforts affect prospects for sustainable employment for CHWs. It looks in […]
The Evolution, Expansion, and Effectiveness of Community Health Workers
This paper describes the current state of knowledge about how and where CHWs can contribute effectively, where barriers inhibit efficient deployment of CHWs, and what business models could support change. Observations come from literature reviews, key stakeholder interviews, case studies of CHW initiatives, and a convening of practitioners, employers, advocates, policymakers, and other experts. This […]