Community Health Worker, Promotoras, and Community Health Representatives (CHW/P/R) Workforce Resource Hub

Introduction

HealthBegins firmly believes that the Community Health Worker, Promotora, and Community Health Representative (CHW/P/R) workforce are critical to delivering effective, equitable care for patients and for advancing health equity for communities harmed by societal practices. This webpage provides key resources for diverse stakeholders who are interested in learning more about the CHW/P/R workforce, and opportunities to advocate for CHW/P/R workforce sustainability.

California CHW/P/R Employer Survey

As of July 1, 2022, the California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) added Community Health Worker services as a Medi-Cal (i.e., California’s Medicaid) benefit.

Health Net, one of the state’s largest Medi-Cal managed care plans in California, partnered with HealthBegins in 2023 to design and launch a statewide CHW/P/R Employer Survey to increase Health Net’s understanding of the CHW/P/R workforce in California. Survey results highlight the varied roles and services that California’s CHW/P/R workforce provide, and provide insights into the workforce’s varying levels of engagement across CalAIM populations of focus. (To access the full report, which summarizes survey results and key informant interview findings, click here.)

The results of the survey can inform and support health plans, providers, advocates, and policymakers to:

• Prepare for the new CHW Medi-Cal Services Benefit, as well as other new DHCS care transformation initiatives;
• Better understand California-based CHW/P/R employers and existing services that are reimbursable; and
• Accelerate collaboration among plans, providers, and community-based organizations in order to operationalize the new CHW Medi-Cal Services Benefit. 

 

HealthBegins and Health Net engaged Community Health Synergy, a queer and Asian-owned business dedicated to advancing health equity through community-centered capacity building, as a subcontractor to plan, implement, and evaluate a statewide survey and conduct key informant interview. In addition, HealthBegins and Health Net engaged with key channel partners to strengthen and advance this work. Channel partners advised on the development and refinement of survey questions, as well as dissemination strategies to reach diverse stakeholders. Channel partners included:

• California Pan-Ethnic Health Network 
• California Primary Care Association
• California Association of Community Health Workers

Recent Webinar

To learn more about the CHW/P/R Employers Survey methods, results, and recommendations, watch our recent webinar here.

Additional Resources

• Workforce Development Key Findings Report (October 2021) by Health Net
• CHW/P/R Coalition by California Consortium for Urban Indian Health (CCUIH), the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, Latino Coalition for Healthy California, The Children’s Partnership, Transitions Clinic Network, Roots Community Health Center, and Visión y Compromiso
• Workforce Resources by California Primary Care Association
• Understanding California’s Community Health Worker/Promotor Workforce by California Health Care Foundation