TABLE 3.
Examining CHW Workforce Development Using the Policy Research Continuuma
| Policy Research Continuum Component | CHW Workforce Development Product | Purpose and Use |
|---|---|---|
| Early evidence assessments | Community Health Worker Policy Evidence Assessment Report What Evidence Supports State Laws to Establish Community Health Worker Scope of Practice and Certification? |
• Provided researchers, evaluators, and public health practitioners QuIC early evidence assessment results. • Reports addressed CHW scope of practice, health care professional supervision, core curriculum standardization, inclusion of CHWs into a team-based care model, chronic disease care, certification, and Medicaid payment for CHW services. • Products have been presented to CHW association members, state and local partners, employers, and funders. Products have also been cited in proposed legislation. |
| Policy surveillance | A Summary of State Community Health Worker Laws—2016 | • Described evidence-informed laws in the 50 states and Washington, District of Columbia. • Report addressed CHW infrastructure, professional identify, workforce development, and financing by state with accompanying citations of the laws studied. • Findings used to identify gaps in evidence-based interventions and scale up CHW interventions through law. |
| Policy implementation studies | Statewide Community Health Worker (CHW) Certification Technical Assistance | • Initial part of the policy implementation study examined CHW certification structures, processes, barriers, facilitators, and outcomes. • Informed the development of technical assistance on the implementation of statewide CHW certification for CHW associations, state health departments, Medicaid offices, and health systems. • Subsequent part of the policy implementation study assessed the potential value created by federal investment in the CHW workforce using a social return-on-investment framework. • CDC funding recipients used products to inform program planning and improvement initiatives. |
Abbreviations: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CHW, community health worker; QuIC, Quality and Impact of Component.
a
Policy Ratings and Policy Impact Assessments have not yet been completed by CDC and were therefore omitted from this table.