Who is a Traditional Health Worker?
Traditional Health Worker (THW) is an umbrella term for frontline public health workers who work in a community or clinic under the direction of a licensed health provider. There are five specialty types of THWs:
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Birth Doulas. Assist women and their family with pre-natal, childbirth and post-partum care.
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Community Health Workers (CHW). Assist individuals and their community to achieve positive health outcomes.
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Personal Health Navigators (PHN). Provides information, assistance, tools and support to enable a patient to make the best health care decisions.
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Peer Support Specialists (PSS). Focus on recovery from addiction/mental health conditions.
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Peer Wellness Specialists (PWS). Focus on recovery from addiction/mental health and physical conditions.
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Family Support Specialist means an individual who meets qualification criteria adopted under ORS 414.665 and may be either a peer support specialist or a peer wellness specialist who, based on similar life experiences, provides support services to and has experience parenting a child who:
- Is a current or former consumer of mental health or addiction treatment; or
- Is facing or has faced difficulties in accessing education, health, and wellness services due to mental health or behavioral health barriers.
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Youth Support Specialist means an individual who meets qualification criteria adopted under ORS 414.665 and may be either a peer support specialist or a peer wellness specialist and who, based on a similar life experience, provides supportive services to an individual who:
- Is not older than 30 years old, and
- Is a current or former consumer of mental health or addiction treatment; or
- Is facing or has faced difficulties in accessing education, health, and wellness services due to mental health or behavioral health barriers.
Certification Agencies