Community Health Workers

A Scope of Practice refers to the list of activities and tasks that a specific job role can do. Sometimes, a Scope of Practice is tied to state laws and license rules.

Core Competencies are the behaviors and skills a Community Health Worker must learn and do to achieve the mission and goals of their role.

Community Health Worker Scope of Practice & Core Competencies Report

In Fall 2019, the Vermont Community Health Worker Steering Committee adopted a Scope of Practice and set of Core Competencies for CHWs in Vermont. They reviewed roles and competencies from 8 other states.¹ They also used the Community Health Worker Core Consensus (C3) Project as a guide. 

Past and present members of the Vermont CHW Steering Committee include:

_{¹ (Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Arizona, Maryland, Indiana, Oregon, Kentucky, and Texas)}

Below are common questions people have about Community Health Workers in Vermont.

• What is a Community Health Worker (CHW)?
  • Community Health Worker is an umbrella term that describes people who provide services to members of the community to help them improve their health.
  • CHWs are peer workers. They share language, culture, identity, or experience with the people they serve. They use this shared identity to help people connect to services and systems that benefit their health.
  • CHWs may have other job titles. These include lay health worker, community resource coordinator, care coordinator, navigator, or SASH coordinator.
  • The Vermont Department of Labor has an Occupation Profile for CHWs.
  • The CHW role is not new in the United States or around the world. In the U.S., the use of lay health workers in the community to expand access to health care began in the early 1960s. These workers helped people with the fewest resources, including Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color and low-income people.
• What does a CHW do?
  • CHWs and the kinds of services they provide can also be as different as the communities they serve.
  • They meet with people in an office, medical setting, at home, or in communities. They offer support and resources to manage chronic conditions. They address health-related social needs. They also connect people to services.
  • They may help people fill out paperwork or understand health information. They can help people make a plan for taking care of themselves.
  • CHWs can provide basic screenings (example: blood pressure). They are not licensed or certified medical professionals, like Nurses, Social Workers, Registered Dieticians, or other medical roles.
• What settings do CHWs work in?
  • CHWs work in many different settings.
  • CHWs may work in an office or out in their communities.
  • CHWs may work for health care organizations, like hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and primary care offices.
  • Community-based organizations also employ CHWs. CHWs work in refugee and immigrant communities, LGBTQ+ groups, shelters and other programs that work with unhoused people, tribal organizations, and more.
  • Schools may also employ CHWs.
• How do I contact a CHW?
  • Most CHWs work at organizations.
  • You can ask your doctor’s office if they have a CHW you can meet with.
  • If you are working with a community organization, they may have someone who can help you.
• Do CHWs need to be certified or licensed in Vermont?
  • Vermont does NOT require CHWs to have a certificate, license, or credential.
• What training do CHWs in Vermont receive?
  • Vermont does not have an approved CHW Core Competency training program.
  • CHWs may be trained for their job in different ways. This could include:
    • Completing a CHW training offered remotely from another state.
    • Trainings related to their work, like motivational interviewing, Vermont Health Connect Assister Program training, medical assisting, etc.
    • Completing internal training and job shadowing other CHWs.
  • Community College of Vermont (CCV) offers a Community Health Certificate Program that meets the CHW core competencies.
• How are CHW services paid for in Vermont?
  • At this time, Vermont does not reimburse CHWs through Medicaid or other insurance.
  • Most CHWs in Vermont are funded by grants or core operating budgets (2022 CHW Survey).
  • Vermont’s Blueprint for Health funds CHWs who work in Community Health Teams around the state. 

At this time, Vermont does not have a state-approved process or program for CHW core competency training. The following list is offered to assist CHWs and CHW employers who want training.

Community Health Worker Core Competency Trainings - CHW ADVANCE

Vermont CHWs can complete core competency training offered in NH. CHW ADVANCE is a workforce partnership with Southern Vermont AHEC, Southern New Hampshire AHEC, and the Northern New Hampshire AHEC/North Country Consortium. Learn more on Southern New Hampshire AHEC's website.

Community Health Certificate - Community College of Vermont

CCV's community health certificate plays an important role in supporting improved health outcomes for individuals and populations. Students gain foundational skills and knowledge in public health, case management, and the impact of trauma.  The certificate also include a Community Health Work course aligned with the core competencies of the community health worker role in Vermont. Learn more about CCV here.

Professional Development Resources

These organizations offer trainings for Community Health Workers. Please note, this is not intended to be a complete list.

New England Public Health Training Center helps build and sustain a skilled workforce with free learning tools and support designed to meet the unique needs of each region.

National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW) was founded in April 2019 with a mission to unify CHWs across geography, ethnicity, sector and experience to support communities to achieve health, equity and social justice.

envision is a collaboration of expert community health workers (CHWs) and CHW allies. Their mission is to support CHW programs and networks in expanding and maximizing CHW leadership and the potential of the CHW workforce.

CHW Central is an online community of practice that brings together program managers, experts, practitioners, researchers, and supporters of CHW programs.

In Vermont, the Department of Health and the Steering Committee surveyed Community Health Workers in 2022, 2021, and 2020. The survey results help us understand the role community health workers play. They identify the groups of people they serve. The surveys also asked about health issues addressed, training needs and more.

The Vermont Community Health Worker Environmental Scan was done in 2019. The scan provided information to the Vermont Community Health Worker (CHW) Steering Committee. They used it to guide and inform support for the CHW workforce in Vermont.

Choose from the links below to open the reports. 

2022 Community Health Worker Survey Report 

2021 Survey Data Brief: Workforce Snapshot 

2021 Survey Data Brief: Integration Snapshot

2021 Survey Data Brief: Experiences Snapshot

2021 Survey Data Brief: Professional Identity Snapshot  

2021 Survey Data Brief: Number of Community Health Workers (CHWs) and CHW Employers by Vermont County

2020 Survey Data Brief: Workforce Development 

2020 Survey Data Brief: Professional Identity 

Vermont Community Health Worker Environmental Scan

CDC Resources support CHWs as they serve communities. The resources also help health care providers, health systems, community organizations, and others. They improve how organizations and practices work with CHWs.

The American Hospital Association developed the toolkit Building A Community Health Worker Program: The Key to Better Care, Better Outcomes, & Lower Costs. This resource helps leaders create and sustain successful community health worker programs. 

Minnesota developed a CHW Toolkit: A Guide for Employers. It provides current and potential employers with guidance to include CHWs. It also helps them understand the training and skills of CHWs.