Written Testimony
Anita Morris, MSN
Executive Director
TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center
November 11, 2025
Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health
H.359/S.251, An Act relative to health equity and community health workers
Anita Morris, MSN, Executive Director, submitted Written Testimony on behalf of the TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center at Boston Medical Center in support of An Act relative to health equity and community health workers (H.359/S.251).
Re: Testimony in support of An Act relative to health equity and community health workers (H.359/S.251)
Dear Chair Decker, Chair Driscoll and Members of the Committee,
On behalf of the TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center at Boston Medical Center, thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony in support of An Act relative to health equity and community health workers (H.1184). This bill will promote health equity by strengthening the community health worker (CHW) workforce. TEAM UP— Transforming and Expanding Access to Mental Health Care Universally in Pediatrics —integrates CHWs, behavioral health clinicians, and primary care providers as a multidisciplinary team focused on behavioral health promotion, early identification of emerging issues, and swift access to care. Currently serving over 40,000 children annually – the majority from racial and/or ethnic minority groups and living in poverty – we have extensive experience integrating CHWs in behavioral health care for communities that experience significant barriers to accessing care — all without increasing total cost of care.1-4 We witness firsthand their positive impact on both patient care and workforce wellness.
CHWs: A solution to the workforce crisis
Massachusetts’s health care workforce faces critical shortages that disproportionately impact structurally marginalized communities.5,6 CHWs are a crucial part of the solution, directly alleviating demands on other providers by performing many critical components of health care delivery, such as health assessment and screening, health education, medication management, and care coordination.7 In the TEAM UP model, CHWs serve as core members of the integrated care team, addressing health-related social needs through culturally responsive care, supporting mental health through education and parenting support, and coordinating access to specialty and community services. Evaluation of the model demonstrates improved workforce wellness for the entire health care team, including greater satisfaction, increased professional fulfillment, and reduced burnout.8,9
CHWs bring culturally responsive care directly to communities facing barriers to traditional healthcare services. Living and working in the communities they serve, CHWs build trusting relationships with patients and their families through shared experiences and cultural backgrounds.10 They speak the languages families are most comfortable using and go beyond simple translation to serve as cultural brokers, providing the health care team with a more holistic view of patient needs while ensuring families understand the recommendations for their child. For many families, CHWs are critical to accessing health care services for their children, building trust and strengthening connections with the health care system that lead to more comprehensive and consistent care.11
Read the full written testimony→
References:
1. Sheldrick RC, Bair-Merritt MH, Durham MP, Rosenberg J, Tamene M, Bonacci C, Daftary G, Tang M, Sengupta N, Morris A, Feinberg E. Integrating pediatric universal behavioral health care at federally qualified health centers. Pediatrics. 2022;149(4):e2021051822. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-051822
2. Cole MB, Qin Q, Sheldrick RC, Morley DS, Bair-Merritt MH. The effects of integrating behavioral health into primary care for low-income children. Health Serv Res. 2019;54(6):1203– 1213. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13230
3. Kim J, Sheldrick RC, Gallagher K, Bair-Merritt MH, Durham MP, Feinberg E, Morris A, Cole MB. Association of integrating mental health into pediatric primary care at federally qualified health centers with utilization and follow-up care. JAMA Newt Open. 2023;6(4):e239990. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.9990
4. Kim J, Cole MB, Rosenberg J, Morris A, Feinberg E, Sheldrick RC. Integrated behavioral health services and psychosocial symptoms in children. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(9):e2532020. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.32020
5. Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association. Causes & Consequences: Inside the Healthcare Crisis. 2024. Accessed October 15, 2025. https://www.mhalink.org/reportsresources/insidethehealthcarecrisis/
6. American Hospital Association. Fact Sheet: Strengthening the Health Care Workforce; 2022. Accessed October 15, 2025.
https://www.aha.org/fact-sheets/2021-05-26-fact-sheet-strengthening-health-care-workforce
7. Health Resources and Services Administration. Allied Health Workforce Projections, 2016-2030: Community Health Workers; 2024. Accessed October 23, 2025. Allied Health Workforce Projections, 2016-2030: Community Health Workers
8. Fong HF, Tamene M, Morley DS, Morris A, Estela MG, Singerman A, Bair-Merritt MH. Perceptions of the implementation of pediatric behavioral health integration in 3 community health centers. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2019;58(11-12):1201-1211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922819867454
9. Hill C, Justo S, Park H, Bair-Merritt M, Morris A, Feinberg E, Sheldrick RC. Pediatric provider and staff burnout in federally qualified community health centers. J Ambul Care Manage. 2023;46(4):265-271. doi:10.1097/JAC.0000000000000472
10. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health. Role of Community Health Workers; 2020. Accessed October 15, 2025. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/education/heart-truth/CHW/Role
11. Knowles M, Crowley AP, Vasan A, Kangovi S. Community health worker integration with and effectiveness in health care and public health in the United States. Annu Rev Public Health. 2023;44:363-381. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-071521-031648