Committee hears endorsements for statewide community health worker training standards
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Summary
LB912 would give DHHS authority to endorse community health worker (CHW) training that meets statewide core competencies; proponents said endorsement will standardize training, expand workforce mobility, and help unlock federal funding tied to rural health transformation.
The Health and Human Services Committee heard broad support for LB912, which would authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to endorse community health worker training programs that meet statewide core competencies and quality standards.
Sen. Brian Hardin, the bill sponsor, said the bill contains no direct appropriation and that administrative costs could be offset by reasonable application and renewal fees. The measure is intended to create consistency while allowing local training providers to adapt programs to community needs.
Ashley Neumeier, director of the Division of Public Health, testified LB912 would reduce training variation across Nebraska and help CHWs move between employers. She said consistent endorsement would support integration of CHWs into teams and align with Nebraska’s rural health transformation program; the division requested adjusting the regulation‑promulgation date to July 1, 2027 to align rulemaking with implementation timelines.
Local public‑health directors and advocates described CHWs’ work in care coordination, outreach and preventing avoidable hospitalizations. Witnesses cited pilot data and partnerships showing CHW interventions can reduce emergency‑department visits and readmissions and produce cost savings. AARP Nebraska and local health departments said endorsement would foster workforce growth in rural areas.
Committee members asked about recruitment, training modalities (online and in‑person options exist through UNMC, Creighton and community colleges), supervision, background checks, compensation and how funds will be distributed to public health districts. Witnesses said $20 million is allocated to the CHW initiative and that endorsement is a required legislative action for the rural health transformation grant.
No opponents testified in the hearing; senators requested additional implementation details on application timelines, fee schedules, and how endorsement would interact with Medicaid reimbursement and long‑term sustainability efforts.
