In California, one of the most culturally diverse states in the country, health care must bridge cultural and linguistic divides to serve all communities equitably. As trusted community members with lived experience, community health workers, promotores, and representatives (CHW/P/Rs)* are increasingly recognized as a critical part of the health care workforce.

In 2019, the California Future Health Workforce Commission recommended scaling the CHW/P/R workforce to broaden access to preventive and social support services as well as team-based integrated primary and behavioral health care. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the racial/ethnic health disparities it laid bare, made this recommendation even more urgent.

Despite this, there are relatively few comprehensive data on CHW/P/Rs in California. Join CHCF for a briefing in Sacramento that will cover:

• Highlights from recently published survey research by Healthforce Center at UCSF that focused on CHW/P/Rs as well as CHW/P/R training institutions and employers.
• Who are California’s CHW/P/Rs? Where do they work, what do their jobs consist of, and what are they earning? What are their opinions about their own profession?
• What is the demand for CHW/P/R services from patients and health care employers like Medi-Cal managed care plans, community health centers, and hospitals? How are these entities meeting this demand? What help do they need?
• What is the best way forward to train and deploy the CHW/P/R workforce that California needs?