Community health workers; creating the Oklahoma Community Health Worker Act; providing for voluntary certification. Effective date.
SB 362 creates the Oklahoma Community Health Worker Act and directs the State Department of Health to establish a voluntary certification program for community health workers. The bill defines “community health worker,” “certified community health worker,” and the Department, and it authorizes the Department to issue certificates to individuals who meet the state’s standards.
The bill also specifies what certified community health workers may do, including serving as liaisons between health and social services and the community, helping identify gaps in health and community resources, and building community capacity through outreach, education, coaching, mentoring, social support, and advocacy. The measure does not require certification for all community health workers; instead, it creates an optional credential intended to recognize training and professional standards.
SB 362 would add new provisions to Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes establishing a state certification framework for community health workers. It requires the State Commissioner of Health to adopt rules for curriculum approval, examination administration, minimum applicant qualifications, and the granting, denial, suspension, or revocation of certificates, and it authorizes reciprocity agreements with tribal and Indian health entities. The bill also allows the Department to set fees for testing, initial certification, and renewal, giving the agency administrative authority over the new credentialing system.
Based on the bill text and available legislative context, the measure appears generally supportive of expanding and formalizing the community health worker role rather than imposing a mandate. Because the certification is voluntary and the bill emphasizes access to services, cultural competence, and coordination with community-based care, it suggests a positive policy orientation toward public health workforce development. No committee transcript or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented opposition or support beyond the bill’s introduction and referral.
The main potential points of contention are likely to be the creation of a new state certification system, the authority given to the Department of Health to set standards and fees, and the scope of reciprocity rules, especially as they relate to tribal and Indian health systems. Some stakeholders may favor the bill as a way to professionalize and recognize community health workers, while others could question whether certification should remain entirely voluntary, whether fees could create barriers, or how state rules will interact with existing tribal and community health programs. No specific objections were recorded in the provided materials.