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1950
In the 1950's using community health workers to address basic health concerns was not new. The most well-known of these earlier programs points to the Chinese barefoot doctor program. These doctors acted as primary health-care providers in their communities but weren't taken seriously. -
1960
By the 1960s China had developed and institutionalized community health workers nationwide, prompting a boom of CHW-led programs in other countries, and the U.S. -
1970
By the 1970s, Community Health Workers became a rallying voice within the American Public Health Association (APHA). A Community Health Worker-led section was initially created within APHA called the New Professionals Special Primary Interest Group. In 2000, the group changed its name to the Community Health Worker Section and continues to “to promote the community’s voice within the health care system -
1980
With a small grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Migrant Worker Council, Inc., an association of Catholic sisters, religious leaders and volunteers conducted a community assessment with farmworkers in the Midwest and designed the original Migrant Health Services Directory and the Camp Health Aide Program. -
1998
Completed in 1998, the National Community Health Advisor Study helped identify core roles, competencies, and qualities of Community Health Workers. With little existing literature on the role of CHWs on the health care system, this study helped provide guidance to policymakers and practitioners on a number of areas that could improve the status of the CHW field. -
2007
In 2007, the Health Resources and Services Administration provided a comprehensive, national report on the Community Health Worker workforce. Health care costs were high, and Community Health Workers were beginning to be seen as a cost-effective way to address health concerns in underserved communities.This study was vital in providing needed missing information to private insurers, business enterprises and the Federal government to propose changes in health care delivery and financing. -
2010
The Bureau of Labor Statistics assigned an occupational code to Community Health Workers.As the interest in Community Health Worker programs grew, the demand to have more adequate information grew. Assignment of an occupational code made the exchange of accurate information more timely. -
2010
As health care in the U.S. enters an era of pivotal change, Community Health Workers have been identified as an important component in the “health care workforce”. This act also officially acknowledged Community Health Workers as legitimate health industry professionals which opened a variety of new employment pathways. -
July 2013
The CMS created a new rule which allows state Medicaid agencies to reimburse for preventive services provided by professionals that may fall outside of a state’s clinical licensure system, as long as the services have been initially recommended by a physician or other licensed practitioner. The rule took effect on January 1, 2014. It provided more funding. -
2014
With the resources to collect data from CHW-led programs across the U.S., the Bureau of Labor Statistics can now determine accurate job growth rate for the profession. From 2014 to 2016, CHW jobs are predicted to grow by 18% further suggesting that CHWs are an efficient, cost-effective way to address health needs in underserved communities. -
2016
With the growth in the CHW profession came changes to requirements to become one. Although this may have potential policy impacts, some have expressed concerns as these requirements may “devalue the skills and attributes that make CHWs unique”.