Apr 15, 2022 - Health

Community health pipeline gets $226 million boost

Tina Reed

A person displays a sticker after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine at a medical clinic. — A person displays a sticker after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine at a medical clinic in Ruleville, Miss. Photo: Rory Doyle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Biden administration is giving a $226.5 million boost to efforts to build up the community health worker pipeline, HHS announced first to Axios.

Why it matters: Community health workers took on a new level of importance as trusted messengers during the pandemic amid efforts to overcome vaccine hesitancy and expand access to care.

The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projects the national demand for community health workers will grow 11% to 67,560 by 2030.

What they're saying: "As the pandemic made crystal clear, we need to be thinking about not only what happens inside the clinic walls, but what happens in the community and the gathering spaces in the community where people get their health information," HRSA administrator Carole Johnson told Axios.

The details: The funding will be allocated from the American Rescue Plan workforce dollars for the Community Health Worker Training Program, which will provide education and on-the-job training for workers.

HRSA plans to train 13,000 new and current community health workers to support essential public services.

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Community health pipeline gets $226 million boost

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