First Employer Landscape Survey for the Garden State
Understanding the Community Health Worker Workforce in New Jersey
Community Health Workers (CHWs) are frontline public health professionals who use their knowledge of the community and its resources to help improve health outcomes, address health‑related social needs, and build both individual and community capacity. Since the inception of the Colette Lamonthe‑Galette Community Health Worker Institute (CLG-CHWI) in New Jersey in 2020, the CHW workforce has continued to grow. In response to this growth, the CHW Hub launched its first Employer Landscape Survey to better understand the CHW workforce in New Jersey, including its capacity, geographic distribution, and the challenges CHWs face.
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The survey report identified:
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Organizational settings where CHWs most commonly work
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Community populations that CHWs regularly serve
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Roles and sub-roles performed by CHWs
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CHW demographics, as well as education and training programs
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Funding sources and career advancement opportunities for CHWs
What is the CHW Hub?
The Community Health Worker (CHW) Hub is led by Acenda Integrated Health in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Health. The Hub is an exciting new resource that is designed to help ensure New Jersey has a strong CHW workforce by working with organizations across the state to provide training, employment and support.
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The Hub will be your access point for key information related to CHW’s such as: 1) how to access the best training to become a CHW 2) how to find a job as a CHW 3) how to find CHW’s to support the work of your organization and 4) how to connect with and learn from other CHW’s. Be sure to check in regularly for the information you’ll need to support CHW’s across our state!
CHW Hub Committees
The CHW Hub includes 5 committees and an Advisory Committee who are focused on making sure CHWs’, employers and partners work together to support this important workforce. Each of these committees includes mission-driven professionals across the state who are not only committed to the success of CHWs’, but also are focused on achieving health equity, social justice and reducing disparities across the state.
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CHW Hub Advisory Committee
This group includes community-based organizations (CBO’s), CHWs’, and other statewide partners who oversee the strategic direction of the CHW Hub and meet regularly with Acenda and NJ DOH.
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Infrastructure and System Capacity Committee
This committee makes sure that the CHW Hub activities, technology, processes and partnerships are structured to effectively support a statewide CHW System.
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Sustainability &
Employment Work Group
The members of this committee work with state and national partners to identify ongoing funding models for CHWs’ and develop employment opportunities.
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Legislative Work Group
This committee helps to advocate, develop strategies, inform policy discussions and make recommendations to the CHW Hub Partners regarding legislation related to the CHW workforce.
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Engagement Recruitment Retention Committee
This committee works to make sure the CHW Hub has community engagement and educational strategies with key partners to develop a statewide pipeline of potential CHW training applicants who are interested in and prepared for educational programming.
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Certification Education Curriculum Committee
This committee coordinates with community colleges across the state to develop the certification and curriculum for CHW education or training.