Achieving the Triple Aim: Success with Community Health Workers

For decades, community health workers (CHWs) have played a critical role in public health efforts in Massachusetts to improve population health and to ensure that all residents of the state receive quality services. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has long been a national leader in supporting the CHW workforce through programmatic and policy initiatives. Massachusetts’ comprehensive health care reform, as well as national health reform (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), explicitly created opportunities to employ CHWs as part of achieving what has become known as the Triple Aim. DPH is committed to assuring that CHWs are integrated into primary care and related health care teams.

To that end, DPH is working to ensure a quality CHW workforce through imminent state certification of CHWs and approval of CHW training programs, as well as promoting sustainable financing of CHWs as part of healthcare teams. This White Paper will help to inform healthcare provider and payer decision-makers about the growing evidence of CHWs’ multiple contributions to achieving the cost, quality and health outcome goals of health reform, while reducing disparities in health care and outcomes throughout the Commonwealth and the nation.