Salvador Rios

(1) A person with specialized training in a narrow field of expertise whose occupation requires training and is skilled in specific technical processes and procedures. (2) An individual having special skill or practical knowledge in an area, such as operation and maintenance of equipment or performance of laboratory procedures involving biochemical analyses. Special technical qualifications are normally required, though an increasing number or technicians also possess university degrees in science, and occasionally doctorate degrees. The distinction between technician and technologist in the health care field is not always clear.

Community health workers (CHW) are lay members of communities who work either for pay or as volunteers in association with the local health care system in both urban and rural environments and usually share ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status and life experiences with the community members they serve. They have been identified by many titles such as community health advisors, lay health advocates, "promotores(as), outreach educators, community health representatives, peer health promoters, and peer health educators. CHWs offer interpretation and translation services, provide culturally appropriate health education and information, assist people in receiving the care they need, give informal counseling and guidance on health behaviors, advocate for individual and community health needs, and provide some direct services such as first aid and blood pressure screening. Some examples of these practitioners are Community Health Aides or Practitioners established under 25 USC 1616 (l) under HHS, Indian Health Service, Public Health Service.

Source: NUCC, CMS