Community health worker insights on their training and certification.
BACKGROUND
In recent years, the community health worker (CHW) field has grown significantly in the United States, with increasing numbers, roles, and visibility of CHWs. State health department regulators, health program administrators, and community health advocates have observed this growth with uncertainty about the definition of a CHW, how CHW roles differ from those of other health professionals, CHW training needs, and the potential impact of the growing certification and accreditation regulations.


OBJECTIVE
Despite the proliferation of regulatory policies, few studies have examined how regulation can most effectively support CHWs in the field. Our objective is to define CHW, identify training needs, and examine possibilities for credentialing from the perspective of CHWs in New York City.


METHODS
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) was used to engage CHW leadership and gather input from CHWs in the design and conduct of the study. The academic-community-state partnership designed focus group topic guides, and conducted fifteen focus groups with CHWs in New York City. The focus group responses were analyzed using HyperResearch and formed the basis for policy recommendations to the participating partners.


RESULTS
We developed a consensus definition of CHW and its fundamental qualities. We identified unmet training needs in the area of core competencies. We outlined the characteristics of a credentialing process that would support and advance the work of CHWs.


CONCLUSIONS
CBPR enabled CHWs to have a direct voice in defining their description, roles, training, and certification preferences. This informed policy recommendations to the state, university, and CHWs through a collaborative process.
Catalani
Caricia E
CE
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, USA.
Findley
Sally E
SE
Matos
Sergio
S
Rodriguez
Romelia
R
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards*; D019058:Community Networks; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004522:Educational Status; D017144:Focus Groups; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D009519:New York City; D011361:Professional Competence; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013192:Staff Development