Other State CHW Certification Systems

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In Alaska, certification applies only to workers in the Community Health Aide Program. Aides perform some clinical care duties, including dispensing prescription drugs and administering injections, because they serve in remote frontier communities where physicians and nurses may be available only once or twice a year. Indiana certifies CHWs participating in its prenatal care coordination program, which was originally funded under a Medicaid waiver.

Certification in both states is tied to completion of standard training and a certification exam. Indiana does not regulate the general preparation of CHWs, but CHWs must complete a one-day workshop provided by the state before they may take the exam. Discussions are under way in Indiana to expand CHW certification beyond the prenatal care coordination program.

Certification in Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas relies on the completion of standard training and submission of an application. In Minnesota, the application is only for registration as a Medicaid provider and is not technically considered certification. In other words, CHWs in Minnesota who are not paid out of Medicaid are not required to complete the standard training.