Processes for Implementing Community Health Worker Workforce Development Initiatives

Barbero, Colleen; Mason, Theresa; Rush, Carl H.; Sugarman, Meredith; Bhuiya, Aunima; Fulmer, Erika; Feldstein, Jill; Cottoms, Naomi; Wennerstrom, Ashley

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.659017

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…Barbero et al developed a model to assess progress in developing CHW initiatives in all 50 states [ 9 ]. They identified 12 strategies being used to support CHW initiatives, such as involving CHWs in statewide health systems and supporting statewide CHW organizations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Community Health Worker Integration in Health Departments

Ignoffo,

Gu,

Ellyin

et al. 2023

J Community Health

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Community health workers (CHWs) are frontline public health workers who bridge the gap between historically marginalized communities, healthcare, and social services. Increasingly, states are developing the CHW workforce by implementing training and certification policies. Health departments (HDs) are primarily responsible for community health through policy implementation and provision of public health services. The two objectives of this study are to explore: (1) state progress in establishing CHW training and certification policies, and (2) integration of CHWs in HD workforces. In this scoping review, we searched PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar for articles published between 2012 and 2022. We looked for articles that discussed state-level certification and training for CHWs and those covering CHWs working with and for city, county, state, and federal HDs. We excluded studies set outside of the US or published in a language other than English. Twenty-nine studies were included for review, documenting CHWs working at all levels of HDs. Within the included studies, HDs often partner with organizations that employ CHWs. With HD-sponsored programs, CHWs increased preventative care, decreased healthcare costs, and decreased disease risk in their communities. Almost all states have begun developing CHW training and certification policies and are at various points in the implementation. HD-sponsored CHW programs improved the health of marginalized communities, whether CHWs were employed directly by HDs or by a partner organization. The success of HD-sponsored CHW programs and state efforts around CHW training and certification should encourage increased investment in CHW workforce development within public health.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Community Health Worker Integration in Health Departments

Ignoffo,

Gu,

Ellyin

et al. 2023

J Community Health

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“…State level assessments examining work and certification preferences of CHWs is a crucial step for the future growth of this workforce (CDC, 2019). A recent systematic literature review reported that 26 states have attempted to complete statewide assessments of their CHW workforce (Barbero et al., 2021); however there has been little research on the perspectives of CHWs concerning CHW certification, factors associated with certification preference, and qualitative feedback to substantiate these perspectives. In this study, CHWs from Nebraska overwhelmingly supported CHW certification (84% vs. 16%), which is similar to the few states that examined the certification preferences among CHWs, including Arizona in 2015 (Ingram et al., 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives on certification of community health workers: A statewide mixed‐methods assessment in Nebraska

Ern

Chaidez

Trout

et al. 2023

Public Health Nursing

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Objectives: While the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce in the United States has been growing, so far only 19 states certify CHWs. This study sought to identify perspectives on CHW certification among stakeholders in Nebraska, a state that has not established official certification for CHWs yet. Design: A concurrent triangulation mixed methods design. Sample: Study data came from a survey of 142 CHWs in Nebraska and interviews with 8 key informants employing CHWs conducted in 2019. Methods: Logistic regression was used to identify significant factors associated with favoring CHW certification, supplemented by thematic analysis of qualitative data from CHWs and key informants. Results: The majority (84%) of CHWs were in favor of a statewide CHW certification in Nebraska, citing community benefits, workforce validation, and standardization of knowledge as the main reasons. Participant characteristics associated with favoring CHW certification included younger age, racial minority, foreign born, education lower than bachelor's degree, volunteering as a CHW, and employed for less than 5 years as a CHW. Key informants employing CHWs were divided in whether Nebraska should develop a state certification program. Conclusions: While most CHWs in Nebraska wanted to have a statewide certification program, employers of CHWs were less sure of the need for certification. K E Y W O R D S certification, community health, community health workers, health workforce INTRODUCTIONCommunity Health Workers (CHWs) are individuals from the community who have been trained to help fellow community members improve their access to health services, change health behaviors, and reduce health disparities (Katigbak et al., 2015;Sabo et al., 2013).

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“…[19][20][21][22] Return-on-investment analysis has shown that CHWs can provide economic benefits and are a cost-effective way to connect patients with care. [23][24][25][26] Because of growing recognition of the contribution of CHWs in improving health and reducing costs, state Medicaid programs have increasingly developed reimbursement models that include this workforce.…”

Section: Medicaid Support Of Chwsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to direct reimbursement for CHW services by some states, other states include CHW services in innovative Medicaid payment models. 24 Reimbursement through Medicaid could benefit CHWs and their clients, offering more sustainable support than time-limited grants or annual appropriations. However, any approach to CHW coverage and reimbursement could have substantial unintended effects on CHWs' practice.…”

Section: Medicaid Support Of Chwsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of Community Health Workers to Help End the Epidemic of Sexually Transmitted Infections

Seiler,

Horton,

Organick-Lee

et al. 2023

Public Health Rep

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The United States is experiencing an epidemic of sexually transmitted infections (STIs); 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were reported in 2021. 1 From 2017 to 2021, the number of reported cases of gonorrhea increased by 28%, and reported syphilis cases increased by 74%. 1 If untreated, these bacterial STIs can lead to pain, infertility, increased susceptibility to HIV infection, and, for syphilis, death. Reported cases of prenatally acquired congenital syphilis-which can lead to stillbirth, low birth weight, infant death, and other complications-increased by 203% from 2017 to 2021. 1 These STI numbers are climbing despite the fact that bacterial STIs are detectable and treatable. The challenge for public health and health care systems is connecting individuals and communities with STI screening, diagnostic, and treatment services as well as education about STIs and sexual health. Issues related to stigma, privacy, and medical mistrust can compound barriers to prevention and care and can hamper the kind of engagement needed to address the current epidemic.Given these challenges, community health workers (CHWs) could play a crucial part in the response to the STI epidemic. The American Public Health Association and the National Association of Community Health Workers define CHWs as "frontline public health workers who are trusted members and/or have a close understanding of the community served." 2 CHWs have a long history in the HIV field; numerous studies have demonstrated CHWs effectively supporting people living with HIV to address social determinants of health, both as part of a clinical team [3][4][5][6][7] and in the community. 8-10 However, the CHW workforce is a largely untapped resource for addressing STIs more broadly. Meanwhile, the Medicaid program, which covers 86 million people 11 and pays for a large share of STI-related visits, 12 is still in the early stages of determining how to best support and engage the CHW workforce.

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Processes for Implementing Community Health Worker Workforce Development Initiatives

Cited by 7 publications

References 13 publications

A Review of Community Health Worker Integration in Health Departments

A Review of Community Health Worker Integration in Health Departments

Perspectives on certification of community health workers: A statewide mixed‐methods assessment in Nebraska

Use of Community Health Workers to Help End the Epidemic of Sexually Transmitted Infections

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