September 24, 2026

Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Honoring Community Health Workers

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today led his colleagues in introducing a resolution recognizing August 24 through August 28, 2026 as “National Community Health Worker Awareness Week” to honor the contributions of community health workers and support their vital work to deliver quality health care in underserved and high-need communities.

“Community health workers are the backbone of rural and underserved communities,” Wyden said. “These unsung heroes deserve recognition for their tireless efforts to keep our communities safe and healthy, and I’m honored to be leading this effort in Congress.”

Wyden has been a leading advocate in the Senate on policies that would address the worsening health care worker shortage, especially in rural and underserved areas. In December 2025, Wyden introduced a bill that would create apprenticeship programs to train a new health workforce. In March 2026, he championed legislation to support innovative community partnerships that help educate and train more health care workers. In June 2025, he introduced legislation that would boost funding for labor and delivery units in rural and underserved communities as hospitals close these units across the country.

Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., and Amy Klobuchar D-Minn., joined Wyden in introducing the resolution.

“Each year, National Community Health Worker Awareness Week provides an opportunity for CHWs, allies, and policymakers to come together to celebrate the workforce, commemorate what it has accomplished, and collaborate on what comes next. Decades of research document what CHWs achieve in maternal and child health, chronic disease, immunization, and primary care, in rural counties and city neighborhoods alike. Community health workers bring lived expertise, deep knowledge of their communities, and a capacity for leadership that our health system has only begun to draw on. NACHW is grateful to Senator Wyden for recognizing this week, and we welcome all members of Congress to join us in building policies that respect, protect, and authentically partner with CHWs and the communities we serve,” said Honey Yang Estrada, Co-Chair, National Community Health Worker Association (NACHW).

“Every day across the United States, community health workers are showing up in clinics, schools, churches, and living rooms to help people navigate complex care, manage chronic conditions, and advocate for themselves. Ask anyone who has been helped by a community health worker and you will hear about a neighbor: someone who sat with them through a confusing diagnosis, got their benefits application unstuck, or checked in on them when they were struggling and no one else did. CHWs are trusted frontline public health workers, and that trust is what allows them to reach people the health system routinely misses. It is also why their work improves outcomes and lowers costs, returning $2.47 to Medicaid for every dollar invested. We are grateful to Senator Wyden for his continued leadership in recognizing National Community Health Worker Awareness Week, and we invite every Senator who cares about affordable, community based care to join him in recognizing the essential service and leadership of CHWs across the country,” said Katie Bollbach, Co-Chair, National Community Health Worker Policy Coalition.

“Community health workers (CHWs) are frontline public health workers who have a trusted relationship with the communities they serve. As one of the oldest dependable professions, CHWs are an integral part of any community-centred and cost effective strategy to improve health and wellness. CHWs provide advocacy, health education and promotion, coordinate care, support social connectivity, and liaise between health and social service systems. Now more than ever we must amplify the critical work they do and ensure that all communities have access to this invaluable workforce. We are thankful to live in a state that continues to show deep dedication to the CHW workforce and for Senator Wyden’s continued leadership as a sponsor of the National CHW Awareness Week,” said Jennine Smart, Executive Director, Oregon Community Health Workers Association (ORCHWA).

Text of the resolution is here.