Community Health Workers Bring Their Voices to Capitol Hill
Meetings with legislators focused on three urgent calls for action.
Posted on Apr 8, 2025
On March 12, Partners In Health United States (PIH-US) and the National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW) convened over 100 community health workers (CHWs) and allies from across the country for the 3rd annual CHW Capitol Hill Visit. The event, featuring Hill meetings with legislators, a CHW rally, and Congressional briefing, helped bring critical awareness to the community health worker profession and workforce.
“Community Health Workers are everyday people who are doing incredible things in the lives of individuals and families.” says Denise Octavia Smith, CHW and Executive Director of NACHW. “The commitment of CHWs to help people get and stay healthy comes from our own personal experiences of having poor health or barriers to living our best lives. We are trusted professionals who live, play, and pray in the same communities where we serve.”
Despite their growing recognition, CHWs face persistent challenges with inadequate and unstable funding. The 2025 Capitol Hill Visits helped bring these issues to Congress, calling on lawmakers to secure long-term sustainability for the CHW workforce. The Hill Day focused on three urgent calls to action (1) protect Medicaid from cuts, (2) support the Community Health Worker Access Act, which would improve access to CHW services through Medicaid and Medicare, and (3) support the National CHW Awareness Week Resolution, to recognize the vital role CHWs play in advancing community health.
“As Congress considers the future of vital health services, it’s more important than ever to raise our voices and advocate for the protection and expansion of CHW programs,” says Katie Bollbach, Executive Director of PIH-US. “It's essential we ensure that CHWs continue to have the resources to provide care and support to the communities that need them most."
Below, we share a selection of photos from the day.
Audrianna Marzette (left), PIH-US Project Lead, Montgomery, and Bakari Thompson (right), a CHW in Alabama, meet with Caleb Alford (center) a legislative correspondent for Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
Omar Clay (right), a CHW with the Newark Department of Health Community & Wellness speaks with Mia Furtado (left), a legislative correspondent for Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey.
Pictured left to right, counterclockwise: Joana Goncalves, a CHW with the New Bedford Health Department, Isaac Nelson, Joanne Calista, both with the Center for Health Impact, Yoann Sophie Jean-Felix, Director of Education & Workforce Development at Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers, Cynthia Orofo, CEO at Culture Care Collective, and Emily Iskandar, PIH-US Project Lead, New Bedford, meet with the office of Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts.
Participants cheer on speakers making remarks outside of the Capitol Building as part of the CHW rally.
