Perceived Benefits	• Supporting members with navigation and care coordination for health and social services
	• Educating members about disease condition and management
	• Improving metrics for cost savings and quality
	• Reducing avoidable ER and hospital visits and lengths of stay
	• Reducing licensed provider time with patients and mitigating provider shortages
	• Improving member engagement in primary care
	• Facilitating member and provider communication and patient advocacy
	• Better understanding member’s social needs and home environment
Perceived Challenges	• Unrealistic expectations of CHWs to make changes for members with highest needs in a short time by providers and health system leadership
	• A lack of guidance on CHW funding mechanisms from the state including CHW billing structure
	• A need for better understanding of CHW roles and benefits by providers and health system leadership
	• A lack of clear models for the best ways to fund and integrate CHWs into health systems with different priorities and resources
	• Finding appropriate CHW workforce candidates and a lack of local CHW training in rural areas
	• Relating CHW services to direct outcomes in health care and cost savings
	• Changing the health system’s cultural focus on clinical outcomes in order to integrate preventive services and traditional CHW functions
	• Cost and quality metrics emphasized a short-term rather than a long-term return on investment