Learn It
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Share It10 Things to Know About Community Health Workers
stations 1 and 2
Welcome! 👋
Community health workers help neighbors get the care and support they need. These 10 things explain who CHWs are, what they do and how to become one.
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Things 1 and 2
CHWs are trusted members of the community
A community health worker is a frontline public health worker who knows the community well, often because they live there or share its language and life experience. That trust is what makes the work possible.
✅ Try this: Think of the person people on your street already go to for advice. That is the spirit of a CHW.CHWs go by many names
Promotoras and promotores de salud, community health representatives (CHRs) in tribal communities, outreach workers, peer navigators and health coaches can all be part of the CHW workforce.
✅ Try this: Ask your local clinic or health department what they call their CHWs.The 10 Things 3 and 4
There are 10 core CHW roles
The national C3 Project lists 10 roles, from cultural mediation and health education to care coordination, coaching, advocacy, outreach, assessment and evaluation. Most CHWs do several every day.
✅ Try this: Pick one role and name a time you have already done it for a friend or neighbor.CHWs work in many places
Clinics, hospitals, health plans, health departments, schools, tribal programs, faith groups and community organizations hire CHWs. A lot of the work happens in homes and neighborhoods.
✅ Try this: Search a job site for "community health worker" plus your city.The 10 Things 5 and 6
CHWs connect and coach. They do not diagnose or treat.
CHWs educate, connect, coach and advocate. They do not diagnose, prescribe, give medical advice or provide therapy. Clinical questions go to the care team.
✅ Try this: Practice saying: "That's a great question for your doctor. Let's write it down together."Certification rules depend on your state
Some states require CHW certification, some offer it as a choice and some have none. In Arizona, certification by the Department of Health Services (ADHS) is voluntary, but it is required for AHCCCS (Arizona Medicaid) to pay for CHW services.
✅ Try this: Look up your state's CHW association or health department to see the rules where you live.The 10 Things 7 and 8
Medicaid and Medicare can pay for CHW services
A growing number of state Medicaid programs pay for CHW services. Since 2024, Medicare pays for Community Health Integration and Principal Illness Navigation services that a doctor or other practitioner bills, with trained CHWs doing much of the work under their supervision.
✅ Try this: Ask a clinic near you whether CHWs are part of its care team.Most of health happens outside the clinic
Food, housing, transportation, income, safety and social connection shape health. These are called social determinants of health. CHWs help people with these needs every day.
✅ Try this: Dial 211 to see what local help is listed for food, housing and rides.The 10 Things 9 and 10
Listening is the core skill
CHWs ask open questions, reflect back what they hear and let the person lead. People change when the reasons are their own, not when they are told what to do.
✅ Try this: In your next conversation, ask one "what" or "how" question and just listen.It is a real career path
CHW work can lead to roles such as lead CHW, care coordinator or program supervisor, and to further study in nursing, social work or public health. FFH's path runs from the FREE Basics to Digital Health Navigator Pro to CHW Pro.
✅ Try this: Start CHW Foundations: 52 hours, including all of Digital Health Navigator Pro.What Do You Know Now?
Answers on page 11. Then try FREE stations 1 and 2 of the CHW Qwest.
Pass It On
- Think of someone people already go to for help.
- Tell them what a community health worker does.
- Send them this free eBook.
Train as a Community Health Worker
CHW Pro is 160 hours in 12 units, with an exam per unit, an optional 130-hour practicum log and the My Healthy IDEAS capstone. Start with CHW Foundations: 52 hours (Units 1, 2 and 5).
- 🤝 Professional Conduct — 12 hrs
- 💬 Communication and Relationships — 16 hrs
- 🌉 Cultural Mediation — 14 hrs
- 📣 Culturally Appropriate Health Education — 16 hrs
- 🧭 Care Coordination and System Navigation — 24 hrs
- 🌱 Coaching and Social Support — 20 hrs
- 📢 Advocacy and Capacity Building — 10 hrs
- 🔎 Individual and Community Assessment — 12 hrs
- 🚪 Outreach — 8 hrs
- 🫶 Direct Service Within Scope — 12 hrs
- 📊 Evaluation and Research — 8 hrs
- 🛡️ Safety, Law and Self-Care — 8 hrs
Answer Key
- The C3 Project (Community Health Worker Core Consensus Project)
- No. CHWs educate, connect, coach and advocate; clinical questions go to the care team
- ADHS certification of the CHW (certification is otherwise voluntary)
- Food, housing, transportation, income, safety or social connection
- 211
CHW certification and payment rules vary by state and change. Check your state's current rules. CHW Pro is a training program, not a state certification.
12 units. 160 hours.
Each eBook pairs with a video lesson in the Force for Health Academy and a station in the CHW Qwest.
theforce.health/community-health-worker · FFH Virtual Library