About Community Health Workers FAQs
Community Health Worker (CHW) is an umbrella term. Their job titles are as diverse as the communities, sites, and roles in which they serve. CHWs focus on improving individual and community health and health access. They forge connections where people live, learn, work, worship and heal, from the inner city to rural communities.
Individuals employed in community health work may have many different titles – all of which fall under the community health worker umbrella term. Here are a few examples, but there are many more job titles that would meet the definition:
· Navigator
· Patient support representative
· Outreach worker
· Client advocate
· Family support worker
· Peer support worker
You can access an alternative definition here.
There are no national, standard requirements to be a CHW. Some states have specific requirements and state level certification, but this is not the case in every state. Most often, employers set the requirements for CHW employment which may include formal education as a CHW, related work experience, or other requirements.
In some states, training may be required, but this is not true in every state in the US. Usually, a college degree is not required by state regulations. However, organizations employing CHWs may set requirements beyond those required by the state.