Non-Traditional Professions

“Community Health Worker” (CHW) is a term inclusive of many job titles, such as community health advisors, lay health advocates, promotoras, outreach educators, community health representatives, peer health promoters and educators, etc. The common general attribute is that the CHWs are members of, or have a close relationship to, the community served. They generally are lay members of an underserved community who work in association with the health care system to offer interpretation and translation services, provide culturally appropriate health education and information, assist people in getting the health services they need, provide informal counseling and social support, advocate for individual and community health needs, and provide direct services such as first aid and blood pressure screening.⁴⁰

In 2003, during the 46th Legislature, First Session, Senate Joint Memorial (SJM) 076 was passed which tasked the New Mexico Department of Health to “lead a study on the development of a Community Health Advocacy Program in New Mexico, including the program’s methods, structure, financing and implementation, that utilizes various categories of community health advocates.”⁴¹ The SJM 076 concluded that CHWs can help improve public health outcomes, increase access to care, and reduce costs associated with health care.

The SJM 076 report also noted that there were an estimated 500 CHWs working in New Mexico in 2003. While 30 percent, or 150 CHWs, worked in the southern or Border region of the State, another 30 percent served the tribal lands of New Mexico. The Community Health Worker National Workforce Study (described below) will compute a set of estimates for paid CHWs using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) and Staffing Patterns data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for every State in the country. In addition, an estimate of the number of volunteer CHWs will also be calculated at the State and national level. Results from the National Community Health Advisor Study (1998) indicated that there were at least 12,500 CHWs working throughout the United States.

The Community Health Worker National Workforce Study, which began on October 1, 2004, under a 2-year contract by the RCHWS at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health Professions, is aimed at drawing an accurate profile of the CHW workforce. The study consists of a thorough analysis of the quality and size of CHW employment and potential job market. Data on the number of paid and volunteer CHWs, their duties, work conditions, compensation, training/education and career opportunities are collected, organized, verified, and explained. The study also examines related issues, such as training and credentialing standards, the availability of funding streams for education and compensation as well as current State/Federal policy trends and options. The final report will provide a national profile and detailed assessments of the CHW workforce in four States that will inform policy and strategic interventions on existing application of CHW capabilities in improving access, reducing disparities, and enhancing quality improvement and cost-containment efforts.