RECORDINGS 

1. September 15th, Part 1: Advancing Diversity in Community Health, CHW Professional Roles and Titles, Career Gateways, Requirements, and Advancement Barriers
2.  RECORDING PART 1 
3. September 29th, Part 2: Achieving Pay Equity, CHW Work Environment, Perception of CHWs in Care Teams, and CHW Self-Care and Support
4. RECORDING PART2  
5. October 13th, Part 3: CHW Roles in Networks and in Addressing Racial Equity
6. RECORDING PART 3
7. October 27th, Part 4: Valuing Self-Determination and Leadership, and CHW Authority in Policy and Advocacy
8. RECORDING PART 4

For more information on the National CHW Survey, consult these handouts!

CHW Self-Determination, Values, and Leadership

CHW Diversity

CHW Career

CHW Role

 Here is the link to the full Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3479/text

Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA] (Introduced 01/11/2022) 

Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Latest Action: Senate - 01/11/2022

 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.  (All Actions) 

Tracker: This bill has the status: Introduced

Senator Casey introduces legislation to build up CHW workforce

Strengthening the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce has come to the forefront of conversations about preventable disease and reducing health care disparity across the nation. CHWs are frontline public health workers who are trusted and integrated members of the communities in which they work. A CHW works as a liaison to connect the people who need it most with social and health services.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has only shed more light on the need for a robust CHW workforce.  

Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have introduced bipartisan legislation to build up the CHW workforce. The Building a Sustainable Workforce for Healthy Communities Act (S.3479), if passed, will reauthorize a competitive grant program to support state and local governments, tribal organizations, and community-based organizations in expanding community health worker programs. 

 “Investing in the health care workforce has never been so vital,” said Senator Casey in a January 14 press release. “The pandemic highlighted inequities in health care that long preceded it and exacerbated the public health and economic crises we are currently experiencing. Community health workers are uniquely suited to understanding the needs of a community and reducing health risks. By investing our health care workforce, we can put the country on the road to economic recovery.”  The grant funding will be used to recruit and train CHWs, who will help to improve the quality of life in their communities.  The Building a Sustainable Workforce for Healthy Communities Act is now part of the larger Prevent Pandemics bill.  

Author: NACHW

Pages: 6 

DOWNLOAD

Date: March 1, 2021

Sections: 

• The National Association of Community Health Workers Calls on Public and Private Institutions to Respect, Protect, and Partner with Community Health Workers to Ensure Equity During the Pandemic and Beyond 
• Community Health Workers are Needed More than ever to strengthen  COVID-19 response
• Why aren't more Community Health Workers integrated into COVID 19 response?
• Who are Community Health Workers?
• Respect Community Health Workers
• Protect Community Health Workers
• Partner with Community Health Workers
• About the National Association of Community Health Workers
• Resources to advance CHW leadership and integration into the COVID 19 response

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It is with great excitement that we share with you all the NACHW National Policy Platform. This document is an important tool to promote national professional identity, leadership and capacity of CHWs and our Associations.

This document was created over the past year of town hall calls with over 30 CHW Associations, 3 national CHW polls, numerous partner meetings, member input on the Biden administration's national plan to Build Back Better and in consultation with many of you. It centers many of the policies and best practices that are already nationally endorsed within our field and can be applied to COVID-19 response efforts as well as long term policy development.

Likely there are things we will add to this document as we learn! However, now is the time for us to come together as CHWs and allies to articulate to public and private institutions our values and strategies to Respect, Protect and Partner with us.

Over the next few weeks, NACHW will begin to share this document widely, in presentations, on social media, through our newsletter, etc. if you have an upcoming presentation, we would be happy to provide you with slides to share these policy recommendations and more about NACHW.

Thank you again for your expertise, contributions and partnership. I honor your voices and look forward to continued advancement of CHWs through our unity.

Many thanks!

Denise Octavia Smith, MBA, CHW, PN
Executive Director 

• TFAH is circulating an organizational sign-on letter urging congressional leadership to include Senator Murray's Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (S. 674) in any infrastructure legislation being developed. The deadline to join the letter via this form is COB Monday, June 21st. A fact sheet to the bill, which includes a list of endorsing organizations, can be found here. To be listed as an endorsing organization on the fact sheet as well, fill out this form (no need to fill if your organization is already listed).
• TFAH is circulating a letter of support for the re-introduction of the Improving Data Collection for Adverse Childhood Experiences Act. This bipartisan bill, H.R. 3467, would give CDC funding to build upon the previous ACEs literature in important ways like the inclusion of diverse and nationally representative sample, examining the intensity and frequency of ACEs and the relative strength of particular risk and protective factors, and exploring the effect of social, economic, and community conditions. A Senate companion is expected soon, and we will share a similar letter with those sponsors. In the meantime, please use this form to sign-on. 
• The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2021 (S. 104/H.R. 379) would create a SDOH program at CDC, including grants to states for a public health approach to SDOH. A fact sheet to the bill, which includes a list of endorsing organizations, can be found here. To endorse the bill, fill out this form (no need to fill it in if your organization is already listed).

 ASTHO RESOURCES-This webpage contains resources for state health agencies on the use of non-licensed providers such as Community Health Workers (CHWs), including resources related to financing, certification and licensure, and examples of work in states to support CHWs

Issue Brief 2017 :Community Health Worker Successes and Opportunities for States  

Bill Analysis- AB 2354 (April 2010)

Learn more about the history of CHW/Promotores legislation in CA

Bill Analysis- AB 2354

Date of Hearing:   April 20, 2010

                            ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH

                              William W. Monning, Chair

               AB 2354 (V. Manuel Perez) - As Amended:  April 13, 2010

Subject:  Community Health Workers: Promotores.

Addressing Social Determinants of Health through Community Health Workers: A Call to Action  

https://hispanichealthcouncil.org/images/Brief2018.pdf

Date: 2018

Pages: 22

Authors:  Hispanic Health Council 

PROJECT DIRECTOR 

Grace Damio Director of Research and Training Hispanic Health Council 

COLLABORATORS 

PROJECT ADVISORS 

• Meredith Ferraro Executive Director Southwestern AHEC COMMUNITY HEALTH 

WORKER POLICY RESEARCH EXPERT PANEL 

• Katharine London, Principal, Center for Health Law and Economics University of Massachusetts Medical School 
• Dr. Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, Director, Office of Public Health Practice Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health Yale School of Public Health 
• Dr. Noelle Wiggins, Director of Capacity Building and Collaboration Whole Person Care-LA Community Health & Integrated Programs Los Angeles County Department of Health Services  

RECOMMENDATIONS

 The Hispanic Health Council and its expert policy research panel developed a total of 20 recommendations in seven broad CHW policy categories, as listed below:

 Payment of Community Health Worker Services Recommendations: 

• No. 1 Healthcare payment methods should reward improved outcomes, rather than volume, and should address the underlying health risks of the population, including SDOH. 
• No. 2 Payments for CHW services should cover the full range of services needed to be effective in improving health outcomes for high-risk populations, including addressing SDOH. Funding should be adjusted to meet the health and SDOH needs of the population of focus for each specific intervention (see Community Health Worker Caseloads section, page 10-11).  

 Community Health Worker Caseloads Recommendations:

•  No. 3 CHW services should support full performance of CHW roles, including addressing SDOH. Therefore, employers should structure CHW job duties to provide sufficient time for: 
• 1) significant, extended face-time with clients, and often, families; 
• 2) individual visits in the home and/or clinic; and 
• 3) active engagement with clients to plan for future care.  

Community Health Worker Training Recommendations: 

• No. 5 Curricula should include education on health issues, SDOH, and health inequities, as well as training to develop specific skills, such as communication and service coordination. 
• No. 6 Training programs should use the principles and techniques of popular education (also known as empowerment or Freirian education, in honor of the Brazilian popular educator Paulo Freire).
• No. 7 Training programs should involve experienced CHWs in designing and conducting CHW training. 
• No. 8 Training programs should prepare and support CHWs to perform the full range of CHW roles. 
• No. 9 CHWs should be trained in data collection and documentation in electronic health records.  

Reflective and Trauma-Informed Mentoring and Supportive Supervision of Community Health Workers Recommendations:  

• No. 10 The supervisor to CHW ratio should facilitate high quality administrative and clinical supervision. 
• No. 11 Training for CHW supervisors is crucial, and should include training in popular education and the unique  roles and needs of CHWs.  

Integration of Community Health Workers into Care Teams Recommendations:

• No. 12 A CHW champion should be designated within the organization to help ensure that the role of CHWs is  valued, understood and supported. 
• No. 13 Training for all members of the healthcare team should be conducted to establish a thorough understanding of the history and current status of the CHW profession before bringing a CHW onto the team. 
• No. 14 Adequate time should be allocated to provide an intensive orientation for the CHW to the organization.
• No. 15 CHWs should be included in care team meetings and empowered to provide insights about their participants/the community during and between meetings.
• No. 16 CHW services should be documented as part of the electronic health record, to facilitate sharing of their work with other team members, and tailoring their support to individual needs.

Documenting the Effects of Community Health Worker Services on Social Determinants of Health Recommendations:

• No. 17 CHWs should be trained to collect data while completing participant services.
• No. 18 Indicators of CHW work should be systematically documented, including process, health outcomes and social outcomes measures related to the SDOH, in alignment with the Connecticut adaptation of the CHW Common Indicators Project.
• No. 19 Regular process and impact evaluations of CHW services should be conducted for continuous quality  improvement and continued program support and sustainability of the CHW services.
• No. 20 CHWs should be involved in developing evaluation methods and outcomes in order to contribute to  their professional growth and to build more valid and reliable measurements. 

READ REPORT

• 2001 policy in support of CHWs’ contributions to meeting the nation’s healthcare needs.
• 2009 policy with definition in support for CHWs’ ability to increase access and reduce inequities.
• 2014 policy in support of CHW self-determination and leadership.