Community Health Workers - California Health Care Foundation

Community Health Workers
Community health workers and promotores have long played a vital role in promoting health and well-being, particularly in communities historically not well served by the health care system. The need to expand this important workforce takes on new urgency in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

External Resource

Community Health Workers & Promotores in the Future of Medi-Cal

This is a CHCF project to enhance the capacity of Medi-Cal managed care plans and their partners to deploy community health worker and promotor programs that advance health equity.

CHCF Blog

Coronavirus Contact Tracers: Part Detective, Part Social Worker

August 24, 2020

Xenia Shih Bion

Workforce

Stories That Caught Our Attention: Public health workers are trying to slow the spread of the virus while addressing critical social needs.

External Resource

Training and Supporting Community Health Workers and Promotores: Lessons for California and Other States

The Center for Health Care Strategies led a comprehensive scan of training and certification approaches for Community Health Workers and Promotores (CHW/P). This resulting report outlines a set of training and professional recognition considerations for sustaining a robust CHW/P workforce. While the report shares specific considerations for California, these lessons are also applicable in other states.

CHCF Blog

Could Community Health Workers and Promotores de Salud Help California Respond to COVID-19?

June 4, 2020

Rob Waters

Workforce, Medi-Cal

Meet Tia Aida, a veteran community health worker in Chula Vista, California. She says the pandemic caused a surge in requests for her help.

April 17, 2020

Online Convening — Adapting to COVID-19: Preparing and Supporting Community Health Workers and Promotores

April 17, 2020

This online convening is for those supporting Community Health Workers and Promotores (CHW/Ps) in training and employment environments.

External Resource

Three Workforce Strategies To Help COVID Affected Communities

Workforce

In this Health Affairs blog, Rishi Manchanda outlines three ways state and federal leaders can ramp up a community-based workforce to protect vulnerable communities and augment the efforts of hospitals and public health leaders in the fight against COVID-19.

External Resource

Recognizing and Sustaining the Value of Community Health Workers and Promotores

Workforce

This brief from the Center for Health Care Strategies explores how community health workers and promotores (CHW/Ps) are currently contributing to the health care system both in California and around the country. It highlights examples of how CHW/P work is financed as well as emerging opportunities to scale and sustain that work within California.