A groundbreaking statewide meeting was held in Houston June 17-18 to discuss joint action to move the CHW work force forward in Texas.  Despite having certification of CHWs since 2003, the field has not progressed in other areas of policy, and CHW employment is still dominated by short-term grant funding.

At the “Summit” meeting, Texas employers presented examples of their own internal evidence of a positive “return on investment,” and participants discussed strategies for reaching common ground and taking action to promote positive policy change. Keynote speakers included Dr. Eduardo Sánchez, former state health commissioner and now medical director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, and Gail Hirsch of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Other key participating organizations included the Gateway to Care Collaborative in Houston, Project Access Dallas, East Texas AHEC, the Texas Public Health Association and the Texas Health Institute, as well as university Health Science Centers from Houston, Galveston, San Antonio and Lubbock.

Further details on outcomes from this meeting will be reported in our next newsletter!