Deadline Approaching
Community Health Workers are frontline public health workers who have a trusted relationship with the community and facilitate access to a variety of services and resources for community members. Building CHWs into the continuum of care has been proven to both improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
For a picture of how CHWs can fit into a continuum of care, take a look at this report from the NAU Center for Health Equity Research in collaboration with the UA Prevention Research Center (AzPRC) which provides insight into innovative strategies for integrating, sustaining and scaling of the CHW workforce within Medicaid (AHCCCS).
Building CHWs into the healthcare continuum requires that a certification process be in place. The public health community tried for many years to get such a process in place, finally meeting with success 4 years ago with the passage of HB 2324 (sponsored by Representative Carter), which charged the ADHS with implementing a program for the voluntary certification of Community Health Workers.
After 4 years of anticipation (and advocacy trying to get the ADHS to write the rules) the agency is finally adopting those rules, meaning we are finally on the threshold of bringing CHW’s into the care network.
The US Department of Health & Human Services recently announced availability of $226.5 million for a new program building the pipeline of public health workers at the community level. The multiyear effort will support training and apprenticeship programs for the critical role of trusted messenger connecting people to care and support.
Administered through HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce, the program will train as many as 13,000 community health workers who will address needs in rural and underserved communities. These roles, providing culturally competent and individualized services, are critical in rural areas where health services are limited.
Interested folks can Apply for New Community Health Worker Training Program – but the Deadline is June 11.
Registration is still open for the annual AZCHOW conference : Roots Annual Conference Tickets, Wednesday, June 22, 23 2022
Roots: The Beginning of the CHR CHW Movement | Recognizing a Resilient Workforce
Vee Quiva Hotel & Casino, 15091 South Komatke Lane, Laveen Village, AZ 85339
