(a) As used in this section, “community health worker” means a public health outreach professional with an in-depth understanding of the experience, language, culture and socioeconomic needs of the community who (1) serves as a liaison between individuals within the community and health care and social services providers to facilitate access to such services and health-related resources, improve the quality and cultural competence of the delivery of such services and address social determinants of health with a goal toward reducing racial, ethnic, gender and socioeconomic health disparities, and (2) increases health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of services including outreach, engagement, education, coaching, informal counseling, social support, advocacy, care coordination, research related to social determinants of health and basic screenings and assessments of any risks associated with social determinants of health.

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(b) The executive director of the Office of Health Strategy, established under section 19a-754a, shall, within available resources and in consultation with the Community Health Worker Advisory Committee established by said office and the Commissioner of Public Health, study the feasibility of creating a certification program for community health workers. Such study shall examine the fiscal impact of implementing such a certification program and include recommendations for (1) requirements for certification and renewal of certification of community health workers, including any training, experience or continuing education requirements, (2) methods for administering a certification program, including a certification application, a standardized assessment of experience, knowledge and skills, and an electronic registry, and (3) requirements for recognizing training program curricula that are sufficient to satisfy the requirements of certification.

(c) Not later than October 1, 2018, the executive director of the Office of Health Strategy shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, on the results of such study and recommendations to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health and human services.