Major Issues within the Field

[SPEAKER]

Before embarking on policy initiatives, we need to become familiar with the culture and complexities of the CHW workforce, including forces other than “silo” funding that challenge efforts to bring the field together. We will discuss each of these in turn:

• Boundaries with other occupations
• The theme of preserving community trust and credibility, which includes a number of issues, including:
  • Potential differences in the CHW’s mind between community priorities and the employer’s immediate goals
  • Professionalization and credentialing of CHWs
  • The dilemma of “community membership” as an essential qualification
  • The definitions of “peer-ness” and “community”
• Potential barriers to entry into the profession
• The question of whether CHW employment is a “pathway” or a career; we mention this as an issue now, but we will actually discuss in depth in Session 3 under Workforce Development
• Self-determination for CHWs as an occupation