Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Poore on behalf of all Senators & Rep. Bentz on behalf of all Representatives

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

149th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 37

PRESENTING THE DELAWARE CENTER FOR HEALTH INNOVATION AND THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES FINDINGS AND REPORTED RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS.

WHEREAS, Community Health Workers (“CHW”) have evolved as a key strategy in addressing the shortage and barriers of health care; and

WHEREAS, CHWs can make significant contributions to improve health outcomes by providing basic services that: (1) foster prevention and better management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular risk, etc.; (2) link clinical and community based services to address issues in high risk populations, leading to better compliance with prescribed regimens of care, such as medication adherence, reducing cardiovascular risk, etc.; and (3) help to lower cost by furthering the use of community based services to achieve improvements in post-hospital outcomes; and

WHEREAS, cultivating new entry-level jobs in the health sector, like CHWs, with livable wages and advancement opportunities can help the State achieve its economic, workforce development, and health improvement goals; and

WHEREAS, CHWs have the ability to be on the front line of delivering community health, while establishing strong relationships with the local community members; and

WHEREAS, the deployment of CHWs promises to address social determinants of health that adversely impact Delawareans health status and the cost of their care; and

WHEREAS, nationally, many states have adopted CHWs in an effort to create a more patient-centered approach, which accounts for cost savings throughout the healthcare system; and

WHEREAS, with more than 1 billion of public and private dollars invested, Delaware is committed to transforming its health care delivery system, resulting in better health outcomes, improved health care quality, enhanced provider experience, and reduced costs; and

WHEREAS, the Delaware Centers for Health Innovation (“DCHI”), in conjunction with the Department of Health and Social Services (“DHSS”), sought to research the positive benefits of establishing a statewide, comprehensive CHW plan; and

WHEREAS, DCHI’s Healthy Neighborhoods and Workforce and Education committees, in conjunction with the Delaware Division of Public Health, provided oversight and guidance to a DCHI subcommittee (“the Subcommittee”) which was charged with developing recommendations to integrate CHWs into Delaware’s health professional’s workforce; and

WHEREAS, the Subcommittee established 6 recommendations, including one for addressing further considerations, that will elevate and solidify CHWs as practice in the State of Delaware; and

WHEREAS, these recommendations include: (1) establishing a Community Health Worker Certification Program; (2) establishing a Community Health Worker Certification Board; (3) establishing a curriculum development committee; (4) establishing 2 entry points for training of Community Health Workers; (5) developing a proper financing mechanism for CHWs; and (6) making further considerations, including using hot spots to identify neighborhoods to deploy CHWs and encouraging organizations to employ CHWs to help track health outcomes; and

WHEREAS, with the implementation of these recommendations and legislation forthcoming, CHWs will better coordinate with our current healthcare system and work towards total integration while driving healthcare costs down.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 149 ^th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the Delaware Center for Health Innovation and Department of Health and Social Services joint report is presented to the 149 ^th General Assembly.