Advancing CHW/P Workforce in Medicaid

In 2020 a multi-consultant and stakeholder team led by In-Sight Associates set out to provide California’s managed care plans (MCPs) knowledge and tools to effectively integrate a Community Health Workers and Promotor (CHW/P) workforce into their programs and services, improving health outcomes for Medicaid members across the state and forging a path to health equity for all Californians.

The project, funded by the California Health Care Foundation, engaged CHW/Ps and more than thirty stakeholder organizations to inform and review an Advancing Community Health Worker & Promotor Workforce in the Future of Medi-Cal online Resource Center and comprehensive downloadable companion Resource Guide (PDF).

Health care must bridge cultural and linguistic divides to serve all communities equitably. As trusted community members with lived experience, community health workers and promotores have a long history of connecting those not well served by the traditional health care system with culturally competent health and social services.

When people have access to health care that respects their cultural values and behaviors, delivered in language they can understand, they are more likely to have positive health outcomes.