Background
The Colorado Legislature passed Senate Bill 23-002 in May 2023 to add community health worker (CHW) services as a Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) benefit starting July 1, 2025. Federal authorization will be sought from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by July 1, 2024, to add CHW services as a covered benefit.
Through the Health Policy Office, Health First Colorado is collaborating with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to implement the legislation.
Stakeholder Engagement Opportunities
CDPHE will host a stakeholder engagement webinar on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, at 2 to 3 p.m. This webinar will discuss the role of CHWs in the Colorado workforce, CDPHE’s CHW infrastructure and examples of CHW work across Colorado. Register on Zoom for the CDPHE December webinar.
Health First Colorado will also host a series of stakeholder meetings to get input on how to meet federal requirements to add CHW services as a Health First Colorado benefit. Register on Zoom for any or all of these Health First Colorado webinars:
Health First Colorado Stakeholder Webinar #1:
Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. MT
Health First Colorado Stakeholder Webinar #2:
Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2024, at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. MT
Health First Colorado Stakeholder Webinar #3:
Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. MT
Health First Colorado Stakeholder Webinar #4:
Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. MT
For More Information
Interested stakeholders can visit the Community Health Workers webpage for additional resources, timelines, and updates.
If you have any questions, please contact Morgan Anderson with the Health Policy Office at morgan.anderson@state.co.us.