To apply to NASHP’s Community Health Worker (CHW) State Policy Development In-State Technical Assistance Opportunity, please complete this brief application.
Informational webinar: Interested state teams are encouraged to participate in one of the following informational webinars.
- March 14th, 12–12:30 p.m. ET — Register here
- March 22nd, 3:30–4 p.m. ET — Register here
Applications due: April 5, 2023
Selected states notified: Week of April 10, 2023
In-state opportunities: April–November 2023
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is seeking state applications to participate in its In-State Technical Assistance Opportunity for Community Health Worker (CHW) State Policy Development.
NASHP will support state teams through the development and execution of a convening of cross-agency state officials with a role in CHW policy, programming, and/or financing; CHW partners within each state; and national experts.
Participants will convene for a one-day, in-person meeting to develop strategies to address the most pressing priorities regarding the CHW workforce in the state. The day-long meeting will be divided into state-only time to drive cross-agency collaboration and state-CHW time to foster meaningful partnerships and to inform collaborative approaches.
Priorities may include (but are not limited to) the following domains:
- Building sustainable financing strategies for CHWs
- Medicaid policy, payment and delivery approaches, and strategies to incentivize best practices
- Cross-sector alignment and braided and blended funding approaches to align partnerships and support the CHW workforce long term
- Opportunities to leverage lessons and funding approaches available during the COVID-19 pandemic to seed future efforts and long-term sustainability
- Developing or strengthening communication and information exchange across state agencies and between state officials and CHWs to advance best practices
- Including building on existing efforts to improve connections among Medicaid agencies, health and human services departments (including state and local public health), state CHW associations, and other partners
- Using data to identify opportunities and gaps related to community-based workforce and inform strategies to bolster CHW workforce across the state
- Developing infrastructure to support the CHW workforce
- Developing CHW-informed certification and training approaches, career ladder initiatives, and other employment practices
- Building/supporting CHW professional organizations (association, networks, coalitions)
- Capacity building for community-based organizations that employ and/or are led by CHWs
- Quality improvement/evaluation plans to build on and improve CHW services and programs
State team work in the proposed project may complement and align with ongoing work in the state.
What Will States Gain during the Technical Assistance Opportunity?
Each state team will receive technical support for a three-to-five-month period in 2023. The three-to-five-month window can be scheduled any time between April and November to maximize impact in the state fiscal or legislative calendar or flexibly fit participants’ schedules. During that time, NASHP staff will support states in setting up a one day-long in-state meeting that will include state officials, CHWs, national experts, and other relevant partners such as academic entities and researchers. NASHP staff will work with selected states to:
- Develop an individual state workplan to achieve project-specific goals within the context of each participating state’s unique policy environment
- Learn from national, state, and local experts
- Identify and engage key partners within the state to advance common goals
- Receive technical assistance through ad-hoc calls and the in-state meeting that draw from other state examples, broader workforce strategies, and additional resources to advance project goals
At the end of the technical assistance opportunity, states will have identified new partners, created new relationships, and made tangible process toward aligning approaches that support and finance sustainable infrastructure for the CHW workforce.
State Team Composition
State applicants should identify a core team to participate in the technical assistance opportunity, which will culminate in a day-long, in-state meeting. The team should include at least two state officials or administrators at the necessary level of authority to implement the state’s specific goals and project activities, and must also include CHW leaders in the state (see below). Teams should include an official from the state Medicaid and public health agencies as well as any other state official with authority, funding, or programming that involves CHWs. Additional team members may include governor’s health policy leaders; legislators; leaders from health and human services agencies; diversity, equity, and inclusion leads; community engagement liaisons; data and informatics experts; or other agency leaders or others (such as local health departments) who can support team goals.
The convening (and related agenda development) will also include any CHW representatives or leaders who are already connected with the state’s work. State teams will be asked to identify those individuals in their applications where possible. In addition, the team will assist in connecting the state team with CHW partners as needed and will provide support and meeting preparation for CHW representatives over the course of the technical assistance opportunity. Funding (a stipend, as well as covered travel, lodging, and per diem) will be provided by NASHP for up to four CHW leads from each state — individuals working with the state already, leading CHW associations or networks, or in other relevant roles — to prepare for and attend technical assistance meetings.
Participating state teams will engage in the following activities:
- A virtual kickoff and framing discussion with the state team and NASHP team and similar framing discussion with CHW leads and the NASHP team
- Development of a state-specific set of priorities, agenda, and participant roster for the one-day convening and specifics around imperative for cross-agency collaboration and CHW input
- An in-person, day-long, in-state meeting to discuss state priorities in the CHW domain, align efforts, and shape strategies with CHW collaboration and expert input
- Generally, a half-day cross-agency state officials convening followed by a half-day state official and CHW working session around state priorities
- Ad hoc technical assistance calls as needed
- Participation in NASHP’s multi-state CHW State Policy Learning Collaborative, including state-only calls every other month to discuss key topics related to CHW workforce policy
- Calls with national, state, and local experts as need and opportunity arises
- A wrap up (virtual) meeting in which the state team will share progress and receive technical support
To Apply
To apply, please complete this brief application.
Email applications to Elinor Higgins by 5 p.m. ET on April 5, 2023.
More Information
Please direct any questions about the application process to Elinor Higgins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technical Support
Selected state teams will have regular access to NASHP staff and national experts through state-specific technical support, including:
- NASHP will work with the team to organize and facilitate a day-long, in-state meeting for each participating state team that will include cross-sector state officials, CHWs, other relevant partners, and national experts.
- NASHP will work with the state team to prepare for the convening and will assist with identifying and supporting participating CHWs.
The amount of technical support/technical assistance (TA) each state receives will vary according to state need and will be described and agreed upon based on an action plan for each state. Ad hoc, virtual TA support will be provided, and each team will have ongoing access to NASHP staff who can provide technical support or connect teams with leading states and national experts in response to identified needs. This opportunity will include one day-long, in-state meeting and several preparatory calls and follow-up discussion (virtual).
In addition to NASHP’s extensive policy expertise and understanding of states’ needs, NASHP has partnered and/or worked with a broad range of state and national experts on CHW policy. Based on the needs of selected states, NASHP will draw on these contacts to provide project faculty who can be available for state technical assistance needs on a limited basis. This faculty will complement NASHP’s own knowledge base and enhance the capacity of the team to address and anticipate state issues.
- Passage of state legislation related to health policy
- State plan amendment and waiver approval
- Implementation of Medicaid strategies to support policy goals
- Improved use of data for state policy decision-making
- Identification and removal of administrative and regulatory barriers
- Strengthened partnerships among state officials and with key collaborators
While state outcomes will not be evaluated formally, NASHP may develop public reports and issue briefs to share best practices and promising policy strategies learned from participating states. An informal evaluation of impact will be conducted at follow-up.
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to all states that are interested in working on state CHW policy. Many states are currently looking at opportunities to support CHW services through Medicaid programs while leveraging federal funding to build robust CHW partnerships, training and certification programs, and sustainable workforce infrastructure. Strengthening linkages and information exchange within state government, across different sectors and agencies, and with community partners will be critical to improving health outcomes and ensuring robust and aligned CHW policies and programs. This opportunity is intended to complement and build on existing efforts by highlighting additional strategies for strengthening collaboration within state government and with CHW partners. States participating in federal initiatives or receiving federal funding and other services are eligible to apply.
NASHP is not looking for a specific type of project. This opportunity aims to meet states where they are and address each state’s individual needs and challenges with advancing CHW policies, aligning across state government, or developing partnerships to improve health. NASHP will support state teams with defining goals and developing a plan, provide technical support, and develop an actionable agenda for an in-state meeting. From our work with states, we anticipate a range of projects related to building partnerships with CHWs and with cross-agency counterparts, developing sustainable financing strategies for CHWs, and developing infrastructure to support the CHW workforce.
Project areas or foci may include (but are not limited to):
- Building sustainable financing strategies for CHWs
- Medicaid policy, payment and delivery approaches, and strategies to incentivize best practices
- Cross-sector alignment and braided and blended funding approaches to align partnerships and support the CHW workforce long term
- Opportunities to leverage lessons and funding approaches available during the COVID-19 pandemic to seed future efforts and long-term sustainability
- Developing or strengthening communication and information exchange across state agencies and between state officials and CHWs to advance best practices, including:
- Building on existing efforts to improve connections among Medicaid agencies, health and human services departments (including state and local public health), state CHW associations, and other partners
- Using data to identify opportunities and gaps related to community-based workforce and inform strategies to bolster CHW workforce across the state
- Developing infrastructure to support the CHW workforce and advance state health and health-related policies and programs
- Developing CHW-informed certification and training approaches, career ladder initiatives, and other employment practices
- Building/supporting CHW professional organizations (association, networks, coalitions)
- Capacity building for community-based organizations that employ and/or are led by CHWs
- Quality improvement/evaluation plans to build on and improve CHW services and programs
Yes, states are encouraged to apply regardless of the extent to which the state has previously implemented efforts to support CHW services. With each state’s unique domain, NASHP understands that strategies may look very different across states.
Team Composition
No, participation from senior Medicaid and public health agency (or other health and human service agency responsible for CHW programming) and/or division officials with decision-making authority is critical to represent state views and provide connection to those agencies needed to facilitate policy and programmatic change.
No. However, NASHP is looking for participation from state officials in a leadership position, with decision-making authority, who can represent the views of these agencies.
While participation from senior leadership is required, the team lead does not need to be the senior leadership member from Medicaid or the public health agency or division. The team lead may be another state official represented on the team. The team leader will serve as the primary point of contact between NASHP staff and your state team. This person will coordinate team requests and responses and should be someone who is familiar with and active in the state project and goals.
Yes. From NASHP’s work with states on this topic, we know that input from CHW leaders is critical for building successful policies that can support the workforce and advance health. In the application, the state team will be able to identify CHW leaders with whom they have an ongoing or existing partnership. If further support is needed to connect the team with CHW partners in their state, the NASHP team will work with the state team to make those connections. The team will provide support in identifying CHWs in the state, connecting CHWs and state officials as needed, and preparing CHWs to participate in the in-state meeting.
NASHP will only select one team from any given state.
Application
The application does not have a page or word limit; however, NASHP encourages interested state teams to answer the questions briefly, but with sufficient information to assess your state’s initiative against the criteria listed on the Request for Applications.
NASHP anticipates a robust set of applicants but encourages anyone interested and eligible to apply. NASHP will consider each application carefully and will ultimately select those applicants whose applications best align with the guidelines outlined in the Request for Applications.
About NASHP
NASHP is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with over three decades of experience in helping state policymakers lead. NASHP provides expertise, convenes states, shares innovations and best practices, and supports state policymakers in making concrete and sustainable health system reform.
This technical assistance opportunity is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
