Created in 1999, the Center for Sustainable Health Outreach (CSHO), a collaboration between the University of Southern Mississippi and the Harrison Institute for Public Law at Georgetown University Law Center, knows community health workers are an effective and efficient means of improving community health by linking communities and health care systems. CSHO also supports development, implementation, sustainability, creating policy options for sustainability, and evaluation of community health worker programs. CSHO is currently looking at the issue of CHW credentialing, in order to come up with policy options for credentialing systems. CSHO has noted that some states, Texas in particular, are already proceeding to take steps toward creating credentialing systems. CSHO has gathered information on current credentialing initiatives which it will share. While not taking a position as to whether or not CHWs should be credentialed, CSHO has analyzed 8 analogous credentialed professions. Using those credentialing systems as models, CSHO has developed policy options based on best practices that CHWs or states could use to design their own credentialing system.
Learning Objectives: Attendees will gain insight into the CHW credentialing movement from the standpoint of what states, Texas in particular, are doing and what possible options exist from analogous professions.
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.