IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1406 
Recognizing and supporting the work of Community Health Workers. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 31, 2008 
Ms. SOLIS (for herself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. REYES, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Ms. ROY-
BAL-ALLARD, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. THOMP-
SON of Mississippi, Ms. BORDALLO, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 
WAXMAN, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. 
SCHWARTZ, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, and Mr. TOWNS) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing and supporting the work of Community Health 
Workers. 
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention de-
scribes Community Health Workers as trusted and re-
spected members of the community who provide informa-
tion, education, and formal and informal community- 
based, health-related services to community members; 
Whereas Community Health Workers and Promotoras are 
volunteers or paid individuals and are often identified by 
titles such as Community Health Advisor, Lay Health 
Advocate, and Community Health Representative; 
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•HRES 1406 IH 
Whereas in 2005, the United States had an estimated total 
of more than 121,000 Community Health Workers across 
all 50 States; 
Whereas in 2000, the number of organizations employing 
Community Health Workers was 6,300; 
Whereas Community Health Workers conduct significant 
work almost exclusively in community settings and serve 
as connectors between healthcare consumers and pro-
viders; 
Whereas according to the National Rural Health Association, 
Community Health Worker programs are significant as 
they focus on assisting hard-to-reach populations and the 
workers usually are indigenous to the target population; 
Whereas Community Health Workers are in a distinctive po-
sition to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality, im-
prove the quality of life, and increase the utilization of 
available preventive health services for medically-under-
served communities that face barriers to care, including 
poverty, geographic isolation, language, cultural dif-
ferences, lack of transportation, low literacy, and lack of 
access to services; 
Whereas Community Health Workers, which are primarily 
women, can be a critical component in conducting health 
promotion and disease prevention efforts in medically-un-
derserved populations and connecting disenfranchised and 
medically-underserved populations to the health and so-
cial service systems; 
Whereas Community Health Workers serve communities that 
are Latino, African-American, White, Asian and Pacific 
Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native; 
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•HRES 1406 IH 
Whereas approximately 1,400 Community Health Represent-
atives work with tribal managed or Indian Health Service 
programs in most of the more than 500 federally recog-
nized American Indian and Alaska Native communities; 
Whereas uninsured individuals, immigrants, homeless individ-
uals, isolated rural residents, and migrant workers re-
ceive services from Community Health Workers; 
Whereas Community Health Workers facilitate and support 
activities across the Nation to help accomplish the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention’s goal of elimi-
nating the preventable burdens of diabetes through public 
health leadership, linkages, research, programs, and poli-
cies; and 
Whereas a study published in the Journal of the American 
Academy of Pediatrics found that children in families 
who worked with Community Health Workers were al-
most twice as likely to obtain health insurance than chil-
dren whose families received traditional Medicaid and 
State Children’s Health Insurance Program information 
and outreach, and were more than twice as likely to re-
main continuously insured: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the unique work of Community 
Health Workers in providing access to preventative 
care and other health services in underserved and 
health disparity communities; 
(2) recognizes the role of Community Health 
Workers in supporting and strengthening commu-
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•HRES 1406 IH 
nities of color, particularly in improving the health 
behaviors of minority women and children; and 
(3) encourages those in our healthcare system 
to learn about and support the distinctive role and 
impact of Community Health Workers to improve 
the health of all Americans. 
Æ 
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