A Call for Support of Community Health Workers

March 03, 2025

Community health workers connect patients to care and strengthen Pennsylvania’s health care system.

This afternoon, the Pennsylvania House Health Committee hosted a hearing on the vital role of community health workers and the need for sustainable funding for their services. The hearing featured insights from community health workers, providers, and other community organizations.

Last week, HAP submitted a letter to the committee advocating for community health workers’ services to be reimbursable through Medicaid. It follows advocacy last year from HAP and over 100 statewide partners to support the cause.

Here’s what you need to know:

• What they do:  Community health workers utilize their lived experience and trust within the local community to help patients, offering social support, advocacy, care navigation, coaching, and other important services.
  • They also play an important role in health literacy, patient education on chronic illnesses and treatment plans, and follow-up care that can help prevent readmissions.
• Making a difference:  These services are particularly valuable in maternal health, where workers assist expectant and new mothers in accessing prenatal and postpartum care. Community health workers also can support social determinants of health, such as visiting patients’ homes to better understand health risks related to housing.
• Advocacy in action:  HAP is calling on state leaders to authorize Medicaid reimbursement through a state plan amendment, ensuring sustainable support for this essential workforce.
• Quotable:  “Recognizing and integrating (community health workers) into Pennsylvania’s health care system will strengthen our ability to meet patients where they are, improve health equity, and enhance overall care engagement and delivery,” HAP’s letter notes.

View our letter and watch the hearing online.