The MolinaCares Accord and Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Making Great Strides to Increase Community Health Workers in Rural Areas
Media Contact: Caroline Zubieta, Caroline.Zubieta@MolinaHealthcare.com, 562-951-1588
CHWs help make New Mexico healthier and stronger
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Dec. 3, 2024 – The MolinaCares Accord (“MolinaCares”), together with Molina Healthcare of New Mexico (“Molina”), is committed to improving the health and lives of all New Mexicans, with a focus on individuals and families living in outlying areas considered “medical deserts.”
Dedicated to making health care more accessible to the state’s most vulnerable populations where access can be a challenge, Molina partners with local organizations to bridge gaps and build stronger communities. Community health workers (CHWs) and Tribal community health representatives (CHRs) are key components to achieving this goal, as they increase the capacity to impact the health status of communities and further support the needs of the state.
“Improving access to health care is a top priority for Molina, and we’re working tirelessly to bring health resources to New Mexicans to help them stay well,” said Carolyn Ingram, plan president for Molina Healthcare of New Mexico. “Molina purposefully invests in training community health workers to boost health care and access where it is needed most.”
In 2023, MolinaCares funded scholarships to expand the number of CHWs in New Mexico. The grants supported education and training for graduating seniors at Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) who completed the Health Careers Program, which prepares students to enter the health care profession as an entry-level CHW.
Emerald Ortiz, a MolinaCares scholarship recipient, successfully earned both her CHW and phlebotomy certifications through the SFIS Health Careers Program. She continued her career path as a CHR for the Santo Domingo Pueblo, which has inspired her to become a paramedic. Ortiz is passionate about using her skills to help her tribal community with their health care needs, whether that be checking vitals, going to medical appointments with elderly patients, interpreting physician instructions in the Keres language, or providing health education and hygiene kits through the Pueblo’s state-funded mobile homeless outreach program to patients in Bernalillo, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe.
“The MolinaCares scholarship gave me a head start to become a health care professional by helping me pay for school supplies and commuting costs,” she said. “I want this program to continue because we need more health care workers in tribal communities to help our people.”
According to the New Mexico Department of Health, CHWs and CHRs have had a role in New Mexico’s health care practice for years, but have only had formal recognition as part of the health care system since 2014. Currently, there are more than 500 CHWs in New Mexico. The state aims to double that number, and Molina is dedicated to helping the state reach this goal through its MolinaCares scholarships and Community Connectors Program, where peer supports and CHWs are part of care coordination teams to support members.
“New Mexico’s community health workers and representatives are frontline champions, providing essential support to our communities,” said Devona Quam, director of New Mexico Department of Health’s Office of Community Health Workers. “Their presence reduces health care costs, improves chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and asthma, and lowers rehospitalization rates.”
For more information about Molina’s CHW and CHR programs, please visit MolinaHealthcare.com.
About Molina Healthcare of New Mexico
Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, Inc. provides government-funded, quality health care, serving members through Medicaid and Marketplace programs in New Mexico. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, provides managed health care services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and through state insurance marketplaces. For more information about Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.
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