About Community Health Worker Initiatives

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is committed to strengthening and expanding the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce in Minnesota with the goal to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes in Minnesota.

MDH partners with the Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance, state agencies, educational institutions, local public health, health care organizations, community organizations, and other stakeholders to increase statewide access to appropriate and effective CHW services to support the health and well-being of Minnesotans.

Who are CHWs?

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are trusted, knowledgeable frontline health personnel who typically come from the communities they serve and have a shared life, cultural, and linguistic experience. CHWs serve as a liaison between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services, improve health outcomes, and the quality and cultural sensitivity of service delivery.

CHWs bridge gaps between health and social services and the community. CHWs:

• Increase access to preventive health care and social services
• Reduce avoidable health care expenses
• Help service providers provide quality and culturally appropriate care
• Address the social conditions that impact health.

What do CHWs do?

CHWs work in a variety of settings including health care, public health, communities, schools, community-based organizations, and more.

• CHWs work with individuals to increase health knowledge, self-sufficiency, and access to care and resources.
• CHWs empower individuals and communities for better health through a range of activities such as system navigation, education, connection to resources, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy.
• CHWs are effective in supporting health, reducing health disparities, and preventing chronic health conditions, injury, violence, and substance use disorders.

What is MDH doing?

MDH is working with partners to build a sustainable, evidence based CHW workforce model to effectively address health challenges in diverse and under-resourced communities across Minnesota. Key strategies include training and workforce development, infrastructure and sustainability planning, and evaluation and measurement.

Partnerships and collaboration

MDH supports collaboration and coordination between state and community partners to:

• Develop, refine, and expand the community health worker profession in Minnesota.
• Equip community health workers to address health needs and social conditions that impact community health and well-being.
• Improve health outcomes.

CHW training and workforce development

MDH works with the Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance, state agencies, educational institutions, CHWs, and employers to:

• Increase the number of individuals completing the Certificate Program and Registered Apprenticeship Program.
• Provide scholarships to support students and stipends for apprentices to help with on-the-job learning. Learn more: CHW Certificate Scholarships.
• Work with organizations to become field experience sites for CHW students and registered apprenticeship programs for on-the-job training. Learn more: CHW Apprenticeships.
• Support upskilling/expansion of training opportunities for new and existing CHWs.

Infrastructure and sustainability planning

MDH is working in collaboration with the Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance, CHWs, CHW employers, payors, and community stakeholders to:

• Create a sustainable plan in Minnesota for infrastructure that supports the varied needs of diverse and under-resourced communities with the best fitting CHW model.
• Build capacity and sustainability within the Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance to expand and strengthen the CHW workforce in Minnesota.
• Explore strategies to address reimbursement challenges and sustainable funding for CHW positions.

Evaluation and measurement

MDH has developed an evaluation and measurement plan to understand how CHWs are integrated into the workforce in Minnesota and develop a system for measuring and reporting on indicators of success and/or health improvement in areas served by CHWs. Over the next five years, MDH will:

• Conduct an environmental scan to assess and understand the policies, financing, and impact of CHW models in Minnesota and nationally.
• Increase the structure and capacity to track and evaluate the impact of CHW models in Minnesota.
• Collect data to better understand the CHW workforce and the geographic reach to communities in Minnesota.
• Develop a system to measure the impact of CHW services related to social determinants of health and disparities in chronic disease, injury, violence, and substance use disorder.