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Committee considers $5 million to train community health workers, paramedics and local public‑health staff
Summary
House Bill 3916 (dash‑1) would allocate $5 million to support training, scholarships, loan repayment and wraparound supports for community health workers (CHWs), community paramedics (MIH/CP) and local public‑health staff. Supporters said the funds would help rural agencies 'home‑grow' staff and sustain programs after federal grants end.
Representative Rob Noss opened the hearing on House Bill 3916, describing the bill as a $5 million targeted investment to build a pipeline for three worker types: community health workers (CHWs), community paramedicine/mobile integrated health (MIH/CP) practitioners and local public‑health department staff.
Janine Smart, executive director of the Oregon Community Health Workers Association (ORCHWA), told the committee CHWs serve as trusted connectors in communities and that training costs and low compensation can be barriers to workforce development. “Community health workers … are often unseen, though awe inspiring superheroes of our urban and rural communities,” Smart said, and urged funding to reduce training barriers and support continuing education.
Sarah Anderson of the Oregon Office of Rural Health (ORH) described MIH/CP as EMTs, paramedics and other health professionals who deliver care in homes and community settings; ORH has trained nearly 500 CHWs under a Healthy Rural Oregon federal grant that ends in July 2025. CLO (Coalition of Local Health Officials) staff said rural local public health departments face chronic vacancies for nurses and environmental health specialists; the bill would fund training and career pathways so communities can hire locally.
County commissioners and public‑health leaders testified in support, saying counties are partners in delivering public health and stressed the need to retain staff through scholarships, stipends and wraparound supports (childcare, travel, technology). Witnesses urged timely funding to avoid a service gap when federal Healthy Rural Oregon grant ends and to stabilize rural public health and MIH operations across Oregon.
No committee vote was recorded in the transcript; witnesses asked the committee to adopt the dash‑1 amendment and move the appropriation forward.
