Certification for Community Health Workers

Learn about Community Health Worker (CHW) Certification in Massachusetts.

The Board of Certification of Community Health Workers (CHWs) regulates CHW Certification and the approval of CHW Training Programs.

Contact the Board of Certification of Community Health Workers regarding any questions regarding certification, application status, or good moral character section of the application.

• Telephone: [phone]
• Fax:[phone]
• Email: [e-mail]
• Monday-Friday-8:30am-5:00pm

Contact The Office of Community Health Workers if you have any questions regarding access to resources as a community health worker and or program development initiatives.

• Strengthen CHW Professional Identity
• Strengthen CHW Workforce development. Including the components of training and professional certification.
• To expand financing mechanisms for CHWs. Establish a state infrastructure for CHW financing.
• The recommendation for the establishment of a certification process for CHWs garnered diverse cross-sector support.

Email: [e-mail]

Apply for Massachusetts Community Health Worker Certification
Go to the Health Professions Licensing Portal  and create an account, or log into your existing account. If this is your first time using this new portal, please visit Health Professions Licensing System User Guide.

PATHWAY To Certification

Work Experience Pathway

• Once you have completed the required 4,000 hours of CHW work experience in the US, you may apply for a Massachusetts CHW certification via the Work Experience pathway.
  • 3 professional references, using Reference Form (PDF) | (DOC)

Combined Training & Work Experience Pathway

• Once you have completed the required 2,000 hours of CHW work experience in the US and obtained certification from a Board Approved CHW Education Training Program, you may apply for a Massachusetts CHW certification via the Combined Training & Work Experience Pathway.
  https://www.mass.gov/doc/signed-and-notarized-criminal-offender-record-information-cori-acknowledgement-form-pdf/download

If applicable

• If you hold, or have ever held, any professional license in any other state or jurisdiction, you must request and submit a National Practitioner Data Bank-Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank Self-Query. To request a Self-Query, please contact the National Practitioner Data Bank. Include the original report with this application. Make a copy for your records.
  • Note A: If you don't hold and have never held any professional licenses in any other state or jurisdiction, you don't need to submit a National Practitioner Data Bank self-query.
• Verification of licensure status from any state or jurisdiction in which you now or have previously held any professional license or board certification. The state or other jurisdictions must send verifications directly to the Board.

GMC Section of Landing Page

“ Everyone is welcome to apply for community health worker certification regardless of their disciplinary or criminal history. The Board of Certification of Community Health Workers encourages community health workers with various life experiences to apply including those with any past disciplinary or criminal history.  We value the lived experience of applicants who are committed to serving their communities.”

Here are some example questions that a candidate with a GMC matter can expect from the board members?

• How have you given back to your community since this incident?
• How has your lived experience impacted your practice as a CHW?
• How has this incident impacted/changed you?
• Why did this experience make you want to change?
• Why do you want to be a certified CHW?
• If you could go back, what would you tell/what advice would you give to your younger self?
• Check a Certification 

Background on CHW Certification in Massachusetts

The 2006 Massachusetts health reform law (Chapter 58), Section 110, requested that DPH convene a statewide CHW advisory council to investigate the workforce and report its findings and recommendations to the legislature. Recommendations were in 4 key categories:

Strengthen CHW professional identity.

Strengthen CHW workforce development. Including the components of training and professional certification.

• To expand financing mechanisms for CHWs. Establish a state infrastructure for CHW financing.  
• The recommendation for the establishment of a certification process for CHWs garnered diverse cross-sector support.

In response to this recommendation, the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers (MACHW) held statewide forums to hear CHW’s views on certification. In general, CHWs were in support of certification, provided that it is voluntary and that CHWs have seats on the certification board. In partnership with experts at DPH, MACHW wrote the legislation to establish the Board of Certification of CHW. MACHW and other key partners led a statewide campaign to have the legislation passed.

The following year, Chapter 322, Acts of 2010, “An Act Establishing a Board of Certification of Community Health Workers,” was signed into law, and took effect in 2012. The law calls for voluntary certification, rather than mandatory licensure. The intent of the law is to create a competency-based process that recognizes and strengthens the work of CHWs while simultaneously avoiding the creation of barriers for effective CHWs to get certified. The board also has the authority to approve CHW education and training and continuing education programs.

Since 2012, the Massachusetts Board of Certification of CHWs, located under the DPH Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, has met to develop regulations for implementing the provisions of the law. The board is appointed by the Governor and has eleven seats (including the Chair), four of which are designated communicated health worker seats. The chair is the Commissioner of Public Health or his or her designee.

In compliance with the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, members of the public also have the opportunity to attend monthly Board meetings.