Community health workers can be paid through Medicaid after signed by Gov. Susana Martinez on Sunday, March 9, goes into effect. As things stand, workers鈥� salaries are primarily funded by grants.
The legislation also creates a state certification program and funding for trainings.
Bette Jo Ciesielski called the act historic and says it鈥檚 the culmination of decades of work. She is the director of the , which she helped form in 1995. The group began working on developing a certification process immediately.
鈥淧eople are not really familiar with the community health worker model. They don鈥檛 really know what they do,鈥� she said. 鈥淭heir efforts are not highly recognized, especially by people in the healthcare community.鈥�
With certification and basic standards established, health workers will be more credible, Ciesielski added.
There have been efforts at a national level to certify community health workers鈥攁lso called 鈥減romotoras鈥濃�攁nd some states have made the attempt to create certification programs, too. For the most part, Ciesielski said, those efforts have failed.
The training is voluntary, and the measure's promises that nothing in the act will prevent people who don鈥檛 seek certification from continuing their work. Folks active in the field were part of developing standards, Ciesielski said, and classes will be held around the state, so they鈥檒l be accessible.
Community health workers provide vital, sometimes lifesaving services and information in the state. 鈥淚t is a field that has existed in third world countries where there were no doctors, where there was very little access to health care services,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n New Mexico we have those conditions in many of the rural areas throughout the state. 鈥�
The Department of Health will set up a web page where trainings and locations will be listed. In the meantime, Ciesielski added, people can for more information.
