The Launch of Massachusetts Community Health Worker Certification: Findings From the Massachusetts Community Health Worker Workforce Surveys.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The launch of state certification for community health workers (CHWs) in Massachusetts in 2018 aimed to promote and champion this critical workforce. However, concerns exist about unintentional adverse effects of certification. Given this, we conducted 2 cross-sectional surveys to evaluate this certification policy.

Methods

We conducted surveys of CHW employers and CHWs in 3 sample frames: community health centers and federally qualified health centers, acute-care hospitals, and community-based organizations. We administered the surveys in 2016 (before certification launch) and 2021 (after certification launch) to answer the following questions: Was certification associated with positive outcomes among CHWs after its launch? Did harmful shifts occur among the CHW

SUBMITTER: Nielsen VM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11528718 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature