A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
To receive reimbursement for CHW services from South Dakota Medicaid, organizations employing CHWs must identify a process to certify that a CHW has completed the Indian Health Service Community Health Representative basic training or a CHW program approved by the South Dakota Board of Technical Education, the South Dakota Board of Regents, or a CHW training program approved by the State. More information regarding reimbursement and training for CHWs in South Dakota can be found by accessing the South Dakota Medicaid Billing and Policy Manual for Community Health Workers, accessible here.
More information about the CHW profession can be found by accessing the South Dakota Community Health Worker Collaborative’s website at www.chwsd.org. A comprehensive overview of CHWs can be accessed through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s CHW eLearning Series. This six-part, self-paced, online training includes the following learning sessions:
- Introduction to CHWs
- Current Issues for the CHW Workforce
- Public Policy Arenas: Workforce Development
- Occupational Regulation: Research and Evaluation
- Sustainable Funding for CHW Positions
- Moving Policy and Systems Change Forward
The online eLearning portal can be accessed here.
