DURANGO, Colo. — When Maddie Adams’ father fell mysteriously ill, it wasn’t the doctors who left the biggest impression on her family. During that difficult time, when answers were hard to find, public health professionals stepped in, treating them not just as patients but as people searching for guidance.
“In medicine, sometimes you lose the humanity factor,” said Adams, a 21-year-old Fort Lewis College senior majoring in public health. “But they treated us like people.”
Her father’s illness and passing profoundly shaped her career path, inspiring her to enroll in Fort Lewis College’s Community Health Worker Certificate program. The program, which was recently officially recognized by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), is the first approved training program in the state after the legislative change to make community health work a Medicaid billable service. With that, graduates of FLC’s Community Health Worker program are now eligible to apply to become registered with the State of Colorado after one year of work experience and passing the Colorado State Registry Exam.
Filling a Vital Role in Healthcare
Community health workers act as essential links between healthcare systems and underserved populations. They help patients navigate the complexities of accessing community services and Medicaid benefits, including preventive care. Through their specialized training, these non-clinical health workers play a critical role in improving health outcomes, particularly for patients facing economic or cultural barriers.
“Community health workers are extremely important in today’s healthcare landscape,” said Nora Flucke, Ph.D., assistant professor of public health and director of the certificate program. “They connect people who don’t have access to services- whether because of poverty, language barriers, or lack of knowledge to needed care, either through healthcare delivery entities or community-based organizations.”
Flucke emphasized that the program’s launch is especially timely. In 2023, SB23-002 became a new Colorado law and established a pathway for community health worker services to be reimbursed through Medicaid beginning in July 2025. This breakthrough provides sustainable funding for a role that has historically faced financial challenges, resulting in a shortage of community health workers in the state.
“In the past, we relied on employers to hire community health workers and absorb the cost,” Flucke said. “Now, with this new funding mechanism, both public and private employers are motivated to increase the public health workforce by hiring community health workers.”
Training the next generation of healthcare leaders
The inaugural cohort of 12 students includes students like Gabriela Meraz-Fishbein, a bilingual senior from New Mexico who sees the certificate as a way to bridge cultural gaps in healthcare.
“Being bicultural and bilingual, I knew I wanted to use those skills to help others,” said Meraz-Fishbein, whose mother is from Mexico and father is from the United States. “Through public health, I wanted to support communities with diverse lived experiences and languages.”
The program consists of five specialized courses covering topics such as community engagement, cultural sensitivity, and effective health messaging. Abbie Tarr Cooke, an adjunct professor who teaches the fundamentals course, highlighted its practical focus.
“Students want skills that lead to employment,” Cooke said. “This certificate provides exactly that—a route into the public health system while also giving back to communities.”
Students also complete real-world projects addressing health challenges. Meraz-Fishbein, for example, developed an initiative to combat childhood obesity among Native American and Hispanic populations in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Her project included classroom education, parent workshops, partnerships with local organizations, and resources to incorporate physical activity into daily school routines.
A Model for the Future
While the program is open to all students, most participants are public health majors who incorporate the coursework into their degree plans. The certificate typically takes two years to complete and runs alongside regular studies.
Graduates are entering a field with growing demand, Flucke said. More employers want to hire students from state-approved training programs because community health workers help patients connect with preventive care like cancer screenings or pre-diabetes management—and access to early detection and prevention makes all the difference for downstream health outcomes and closing disparity gaps.”
The program’s recognition comes at a critical time, as healthcare and insurance systems become more complex. Community health workers are uniquely positioned to help patients navigate these challenges.
“The system is extremely complicated,” Flucke said. “We have services, but people don’t know how to find them or even lack awareness that they exist.”
For Adams, whose personal experience inspired her journey, the program represents a way to be the compassionate guide her family once needed. “I want to be that person for others,” she said. “This program has taught me how to connect with communities and become a better citizen.”
As Colorado leads the way with sustainable funding for community health workers, the Fort Lewis College program could serve as a national model. Other states are also expanding Medicaid benefits through similar initiatives, signaling the growing importance of this role in public health.
“I’d recommend this program to anyone who wants to make a difference,” said Meraz-Fishbein. “It’s an incredible way to bring change to your community.”