Community health workers, promotores, and community health representatives (CHW/P/Rs) perform a wide range of roles within provider organizations, managed care plans, and community-based organizations. Clear guidelines for establishing their roles can help foster an environment where CHW/P/Rs can thrive in their jobs — supporting them in leading healthy and vibrant lives while providing high-quality services to the community. It can also help people who work with them better understand their contributions — which also supports more effective CHW/P/R programming.
CHCF has gathered a variety of resources related to establishing roles and recruiting CHW/P/Rs:
- Curated list of publicly available tools and resources (PDF). This list includes sample case studies, resources on CHW/P supervision, and sample job descriptions.
- C3 Project CHW Roles and Competencies Review Checklist (PDF). This checklist includes a comprehensive list of potential CHW/P roles, tasks, and skills.
- Program Design Checklist (PDF). High-level description of the managed care plan (MCP) activities needed to establish a program with CHW/P services.
- A January 2021 newsletter (PDF) discusses the diversity of roles that CHW/Ps play, based on conversations with Alex Fajardo, executive director of El Sol Educational Center in Southern California and Noelle Wiggins, MS, EdD, co-principal investigator for the CHW Common Indicators Project.
- Maria Lemus, founder at Visión y Compromiso, discusses the organizational integration of promotores in California in this video.
