Existing law required the Department of Health Care Access and Information, on or before July 1, 2023, to develop and approve statewide requirements for community health worker certificate programs. Existing law requires the department, as part of developing those requirements, to, among other things, determine the necessary curriculum to meet certificate program objectives. Existing law defines "community health worker" for these purposes to mean a liaison, link, or intermediary between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services and to improve the access and cultural competence of service delivery. Existing law specifies that "community health worker" include Promotores, Promotores de Salud, Community Health Representatives, navigators, and other nonlicensed health workers with the qualifications developed by the department.
This bill would also specify for these purposes that a "community health worker" includes a peer support specialist and would deem a certified peer support specialist to have satisfied all education and training requirements developed by the department for certification as a community health worker.

Statutes affected:
AB 96: 18998 WIC
01/07/25 - Introduced: 18998 WIC
02/11/25 - Amended Assembly: 18998 WIC, 18998.1 WIC, 18998.1 WIC