Community Health Workers: Part Of The Solution
- E. Lee Rosenthal ( [email protected] ) is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Texas, in El Paso.
- J. Nell Brownstein is a health scientist in the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Carl H. Rush is a principal at Community Resources, in San Antonio, Texas.
- Gail R. Hirsch is director of the Office of Community Health Workers in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, in Boston.
- Anne M. Willaert is director of the Healthcare Education Industry Partnership, in Mankato, Minnesota.
- Jacqueline R. Scott is senior program director at the National Academy for State Health Policy, in Washington, D.C.
- Lisa R. Holderby is director of Health Equity at Community Catalyst, in Boston.
- Durrell J. Fox is project director at the New England AIDS Education Training Center, in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.
Abstract
Community health workers are recognized in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as important members of the health care workforce. The evidence shows that they can help improve health care access and outcomes; strengthen health care teams; and enhance quality of life for people in poor, underserved, and diverse communities. We trace how two states, Massachusetts and Minnesota, initiated comprehensive policies to foster far more utilization of community health workers and, in the case of Minnesota, to make their services reimbursable under Medicaid. We recommend that other states follow the lead of these states, further developing the workforce of community health workers, devising appropriate regulations and credentialing, and allowing the services of these workers to be reimbursed.
