Amy Collins, MS, MA, CHES, Curriculum Designer, New Mexico Department of Health, Office of Community Health Workers
New Mexico has a rich history when it comes to Community Health Workers and Community Health Representatives (CHW/R). While CHW/Rs have been a part of the community for years, the formal recognition as part of the healthcare system occurred in 2014 upon receiving legislative support though Senate Bill 58, Community Health Workers Act.
Fast forward to 2023: The value of CHW/Rs gained greater exposure through the COVID-19 pandemic. In New Mexico, Community Health Workers/Representatives were instrumental in the vaccine rollout and other preventive measures necessary to navigate the challenging time.
Devona Quam, Director of the Office of Community Health Workers explains the New Mexico Community Health Worker Initiatives in the following way:
“The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), Office of Community Health Workers (OCHW) is charged with workforce development through the integration of Community Health Workers/Representatives into health and social care teams. This charge is key in providing a competent workforce by offering core competency and specialty training opportunities for state Community Health Worker certification and renewal. Community partnerships with organizations and stakeholders that employ CHW/Rs are critically important in producing an inclusive profession and productive workforce. NMDOH, OCHW is committed to advocate and support the CHW/R workforce trends as they emerge, expand, and increase within the public health environment."
In order to support and grow the profession, the aim of the OCHW was to impact health disparities through the enhancement of our strong and competent CHW workforce. This was done by working to increase access and reduce barriers to CHW/R trainings within New Mexico, including utilizing the
TRAIN Learning Network (TRAIN). The objective was to build and deliver the approved
Core Competency Community Health Worker training in an online format. In doing so, barriers of transportation, rural access, and time commitment were impacted. By offering trainings in an online format, participants are no longer limited based on rural locations or lack of and the cost of transportation to trainings. Participants also no longer have to miss work to attend trainings, or adjust schedules to physically be present.
Recognizing that 33% of households in New Mexico report speaking a non-English language at home and is the primary shared language, the next project, New Mexico | Data USA, aimed to provide the
Core Competency Community Health training in Spanish. Using the approved Spanish version of the training, the 10-module course was built and made available on TRAIN, allowing the training to address a potential language barrier.
Additionally, within New Mexico, CHW/Rs can earn a Specialty Track certification. The OCHW worked with community partners to build and deliver an Immunization Specialty track online training. This two-module training provides existing CHWs the opportunity to add more skills and knowledge to the work they do.
![]()
Offering New Mexico’s Core Competency training in the online environment was well planned out, helping to amplify the benefits to CHWs in the field and creating a more accessible learning environment statewide. Adriana Nunoz from Deming New Mexico had the following comments about the online training:
- She loved that it was self-pace she could do it after she got kids ready for school.
- It was easy, after she completed one module, she was motivated to complete another one.
- She loved the glossary.
- Easy to follow (user-friendly)
These comments certainly show the importance of offering CHW’s learning opportunities through TRAIN, and reinforce New Mexico’s OCHW’s desire to continue to meet the needs of the community with plans to expand our online training.