142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Online Program

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

300981
Advancing State CHW Policy and Workforce Development: Public Health Departments' Opportunities and Responsibilities

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 8:50 AM - 9:10 AM

Gail Hirsch, MEd , Division of Prevention & Wellness, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
Christina Carrillo, MS , Office of Health Promotion/Community Health Improvement, Public Health Division, New Mexico Department of Public Health, Santa Fe, NM
Carl H. Rush, MRP , Community Resources, LLC, San Antonio, TX
Diana Abeyta , Office of Community Health Workers, NM Dept. of Health, Santa Fe, NM
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Public health departments have a responsibility in health workforce development, and advancing the CHW workforce is a natural and critical approach towards meeting this charge. State health departments can play leadership roles in a variety of strategic areas. Building support for the workforce both within health departments and across state agencies, as well as using the convening power of state agencies to increase support among other key stakeholders, is critical and challenging. This presentation will describe a range of key efforts in Massachusetts and New Mexico to engage diverse sectors in support for CHWs.

There will also be a national overview framing state policy and other initiatives underway across the country. Building on the framework outlined in Health Affairs (July 2010) on the areas of policy development needed to effect comprehensive state policy and systems change, the 3 presenters will focus on workforce development, occupational regulation, financing and common research metrics.  State efforts will also be described in the context of recent national policy developments holding significant promise for sustainability of the workforce. 

Leaders in both states are creating and taking advantage of state and national opportunities, such as the 2014 CMS rule change on preventive services, gubernatorial support for certification in New Mexico, and the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund in Massachusetts.  Efforts to establish a resource exchange for state CHW policy initiatives are underway and will be discussed.  This presentation will be interactive and provide opportunities for participants to share updates and discuss strategies from their states.

Learning Areas:

Administration, management, leadership
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Identify policy areas and strategies for advancing CHW workforce development for, or in collaboration with, state public health departments.

Keyword(s): Certification, Community Health Workers and Promoters

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Director of the Office of Community Health Workers at the Massachusetts department of Public Health, and play a leading role in coordinating state public health department CHW workforce development and policy efforts.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4026.0: Promoting CHW-stakeholder partnerships toward policy and systems change