Supporting & Scaling the CHW/P/R Workforce in California

Community health workers, promotors and representatives (CHW/P/Rs) play a crucial role in addressing health equity in communities across California, but this critical workforce has long lacked the support and investment to integrate them sustainably into health care systems. We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Amplifying Impact Initiative, designed to support and enhance CHW/P/R Medi-Cal providers of the CHW Medi-Cal benefit and California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) programs.

Over the course of 18 months, Amplifying Impact will connect 28 CHW/P/R Medi-Cal providers to grants, technical assistance, and tactical tools for meaningfully and sustainably scaling the CHW/P/R workforce across California. Participants will advance goals that are focused on providing culturally responsive health and social needs services while also connecting CHW/P/Rs to high-quality jobs that support them to thrive.

Funded by California Health Care Foundation and Cedars-Sinai, and led in partnership with health equity non-profit Health Leads, this initiative will offer a range of live and recorded learning opportunities, promising practices, and impact stories to help advance the work of all individuals and organizations invested in the success of CHW/P/Rs - in California and beyond.

Latest Webinar Resource

In our first webinar, CHW/P/R Solutions for Enhanced Care Management, we explored how CHW/P/Rs can be effectively integrated into Enhanced Care Management (ECM) models across California.

This session provided insights to: 

  • The impact of integrating CHW/P/Rs into ECM models, including improved health outcomes, reduced hospital visits, and stronger support networks across health and social services;

  • Best practices for CHWs, promotores and community health representatives to scale their impact and better connect Medi-Cal’s highest-need members with critical health and social services;

  • Examples/approaches to healing and serving communities through culturally grounded, family focused and trauma informed care; and

  • Strategies for utilizing braided funding models – combining federal, state, local and philanthropic sources – to finance ECM programs and navigate challenges in securing stable, equitable funding sources.

“With CHWs as partners, consumers are more likely to develop trusting relationships with their care teams, and become more engaged in their care — that helps us get to better health outcomes, both for the consumers and the system.”

— Nancy Halloran, former Deputy Director of Alameda County Care Connect & participant in the Alameda Capacity-Building Collaborative

Tools & Resources

Participating Organizations

Numbers represent initiative participants, many of which are active in multiple regions.

18 Reasons

Asian Americans for Community Involvement

Advantist Health

Aliados Health

AltaMed

Bay Area Community Services

Conejo Health

Bridge Center

Family Healthcare Network

LA Center for Strategic Partnerships/ El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center

Fresno Center

El Sol / Latino Health Access

Harbor Community Health Centers

Fresno Community Health Improvement Partnership

Heluna Health

Homeless Prenatal Program

Santa Barbara Foundation

Salud Para la Gente

San Diego Wellness Collaborative

Sonoma Community Action Network

San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium

Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Education Program

Transitions Clinic Network UCSF

United American Indian Involvement

USC Street Medicine

WellSpace Health

Vision y Compromiso

Keep in Touch

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