Community health workers: Expanding the scope of the health care delivery system

Authors: Kristine Goodwin & Laura Tobler

Recent state experience suggests that states and Medicaid programs are increasingly using community health workers (CHW) to expand the health care safety net to reach underserved populations. CHWs do not provide clinical care or replace other health care providers. Instead, they complement services delivered through the more formal health care network “to provide more comprehensive and supportive care.” Although the CHW concept is not new, states and other health care providers are partnering more often with CHWs to help individuals navigate a complex health care system, receive primary and preventive care, maintain healthy behaviors, and manage chronic conditions in culturally and linguistically relevant ways. This brief discusses the need to preserve the qualities of this informal workforce and standardize qualifications for CHWs.