Supporting Standards and Financing for Community Health Workers
Diabetes has become a growing health crises in New York State.Grantee Name
Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health
Funding Area
Improving Diabetes Prevention and Management
Publication Date
December 2015
Grant Amount
$490,363
Grant Date:
January 2010 – September 2012
Diabetes has become a growing health crises in New York State.
Numerous studies have shown that Community Health Workers (CHWs) can help patients improve their health outcomes and reduce the use of resource-intensive health services. Despite the evidence supporting CHWs and the large number of trained CHWs in New York State (an estimated 11,000), the State’s CHW workforce previously had lacked a standard scope of practice and sustainable funding streams. In January 2010, NYHealth awarded a grant to Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health (Mailman School) to develop recommendations on standards, certification, and financing for CHWs in New York State. The project was conducted through a partnership between the Mailman School and the Community Health Worker Network of NYC.
Outcomes and Lessons Learned
- Raised the profile and visibility of CHWs;
- Established standards for the role and scope of practice of CHWs in New York State;
- Recommended a statewide credentialing process for CHWs;
- Identified stable financing streams and mechanisms for CHWs;
- Developed a statewide CHW association;
- Formed workgroups to address objectives and activities related to scope of practice, training and credentialing, and financing; and
- Published a set of recommendations for the State to advance the CHW workforce in the report, “Paving a Path to Advance the Community Health Worker Workforce in New York State.”