Community Health Workers Role in the Affordable Care Act: An Experience in a Rural Area of California

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are an essential component of the Affordable Care Act. Their role involves serving as navigators, community health educators, and community resources for referrals and advocacy. This presentation includes a review of the multiple roles CHWs can play in the health care reform and the educational needs they will have, in order to effectively perform those roles. In addition, this presentation will include a discussion of various curriculum proposals for the training of CHWs in the United States and other countries around the world, and an assessment of how those curricular proposals respond to the new roles of CHWs in the Affordable Care Act. An analysis of accreditation/certification requirements for CHWs in some states of the U.S. is included and a discussion of how those certification requirements may need to be reviewed in light of the new challenges proposed by the health care reform. This presentation also includes an analysis of curricular strategies to strengthen the participation and employment ability of CHWs in a rural area of Central California within the Affordable Care Act.