In California, one of the most culturally diverse states in the country, health care must bridge cultural and linguistic divides to serve all communities equitably. As trusted community members with lived experience, community health workers and promotores (CHW/Ps) have a long history of connecting those not well served by the traditional health care system with culturally competent health and social services. There is increasing recognition in California that CHW/Ps are a critical part of the health care workforce. In 2019, the California Future Health Workforce Commission recommended scaling the CHW/P workforce to broaden access to preventive and social support services as well as team-based integrated primary and behavioral health care. As the CHW/P profession continues to grow and develop, it is important to understand employer perspectives on the role. Doing so provides context for industry needs and for supply and demand. Based on interviews, this report describes employers’ perspectives of many facets of the profession, including training, primary roles and skills, billing, recruitment and retention, and future directions.
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