Bridging the Gap: CHWs at the Center of Care Coordination and System Change
By: Sarat Pratapchandran, Rosalia Guerrero & Wes Gibson
Rosalia Guerrero, MBA, CHWI, Director of Vulnerable Populations for the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI) and senior project manager at the Center for Health Equity (CHE), attended the “Community Health Workers Association Conference 2025: Care Coordination in Challenging Times” conference earlier this year.
Attendees and panelists discussed the unique and pivotal role Community Health Workers (CHW) play in addressing the community’s health and social needs. CHWs work as trust builders that open two-way communication channels between healthcare and community groups, especially community groups who do not traditionally seek preventive care or may have a mistrust of institutions.
Guerrero describes CHWs as “interpreters.” Because CHWs see healthcare and social services through the eyes of the receiver, as opposed to the provider, they are the perfect interpreter. But it is a process. CHWs often partner with organizations to explore translating technical terminology that better resonates with community members, even beyond "plain language".
Two panels discussed these ideas from two perspectives - employer/institutional leadership and CHWs. Employers emphasized that CHWs are part of their long-term strategy beyond programmatic objectives or requirements. The CHW perspective panel encouraged CHWs to take the initiative to develop themselves personally and professionally by investing in themselves and building their leadership skills.
The conference also addressed key challenges CHWs experience professionally:
- Access to jobs: CHWs face a fragmented job landscape with varying titles, qualifications, and unclear pathways.
- Recognition and respect: Despite their frontline status, CHWs are often undervalued due to the non-traditional nature of their training.
- Recertification burdens: Certification requires significant effort, and fewer than half of CHWs maintain certification due to challenges accessing continuing education.
These challenges are not new. The Health Equity Collective (HEC), a systems-based coalition of 325+ organizations dedicated to improving care coordination for non-medical drivers of health, has collaborated with the City of Houston Health Department to strategically tackle these concerns.
The team conducted a landscape scan, stakeholder interviews, and journey mapping to identify barriers and propose actionable solutions—career pathways, job clarity, and training. This led to the formation of the CHW Network, now with 43 member organizations, and created resources like the CHW Journey Map, CHW Workforce Systems Map, and a Resource Hub to support workforce development.
In response to these findings, the HEC facilitated the CHW Employer Early Adopter Learning Cohort, a group of organizations committed to implementing improvements, in 2024. This year, the broader CHW network continues to be active in shaping the implementation of these practices across all members.
The conference confirms the critical role CHWs have as an essential component to the public health workforce, not merely as a supplemental resource, but as integral contributors to system effectiveness. To fully realize their impact, organizations should actively involve CHWs at all stages of engagement, including research, strategic planning, implementation, and communication efforts. Integrating CHWs into these core functions is vital for achieving sustainable, community-centered outcomes.
If you want to be a part of Health Equity Collective’s collaborative efforts to strengthen the CHW Workforce, please email [email protected] to join the CHW Network.