CHWs are trusted community members who promote overall health 

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) announced today that Community Health Workers (CHW) and Community Health Representatives (CHR) are now able to be reimbursed for providing services to Medicaid members. 

“Integrating community health workers and community health representatives within Medicaid is yet another step toward addressing health disparities and delivering higher quality medical care for New Mexicans in their communities.” said Alanna Dancis, Chief Medical Officer for the New Mexico Medicaid Program. “CHWs and CHRs bring a trusted presence and deep community connections that will enhance our efforts to ensure equitable and accessible health care for all.” 

CHWs, CHRs, also known around the state as Tribal Community Health Representatives, and Promotoras, are trained, frontline public health workers who serve as a bridge between communities, health care systems, and state health departments. This trusted relationship allows CHWs and CHRs to help New Mexicans navigate complex medical systems and often act as liaisons between the communities where they live and the medical system. 

New Mexico will be the first state to provide CHWs and CHRs with a standing order that eliminates the need to obtain an order from a physician or clinician every time they see a new Medicaid member. This will allow CHWs and CHRs to work with greater autonomy and serve the most vulnerable Medicaid members, including individuals who do not regularly access health care. 

New Mexico Medicaid has posted detailed guidelines to assist CHWs and CHRs who wish to provide services to Medicaid members. 

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We talk, interpret and smile in all languages.  We provide written information to our customers in both English and Spanish and interpretation services are available in 58 languages through our provider, CTS Language Link. For our hearing, and speech impaired customers, we utilize Relay New Mexico, a free 24-hour service that ensures equal communication access via the telephone to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled.

The Human Services Department provides services and benefits to 981,127 New Mexicans through several programs including: the Medicaid Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Support Program, and several Behavioral Health Services.