CHPW expands access to care across Washington by pairing locally driven programs, strong community-based partnerships, and culturally responsive outreach. Together, these efforts reduce barriers, are responsive to member needs, and connect people to preventive and ongoing care when it matters most.

Meeting Member Needs

Providing personal, meaningful support to members is central to CHPW’s work. In 2025, we completed our second year with Community Health Workers (CHWs) serving as full-time employees rather than agency contractors. Recruited from the Washington communities they serve, CHWs offer members more consistent one-to-one support, greater flexibility as needs change, and deeper knowledge of available local services. CHWs were available to go to members’ homes, or meet them in their communities, if needed. This year, CHPW also offered CHW “office hours” on-site at Community Health Centers and community-based organizations across the state, to remain accessible to members in trusted settings.

By meeting members in familiar, trusted settings, CHWs were able to build stronger relationships and provide support in a way that felt accessible and respectful, especially for members navigating sensitive or difficult circumstances. This approach also strengthened partnerships with community organizations interested in field‑based outreach, supporting both member needs and organizational capacity.

MemberFirst™ Launches with Strong Early Success

CHPW launched MemberFirst™, a new rewards program designed to make preventive care more accessible, empowering, and rewarding for members. MemberFirst™ encourages completion of critical preventive screenings—breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer—by offering gift cards through a simple, easy‑to‑use process. Members complete a quick form after finishing their screening, reducing barriers and making participation straightforward.

Early results demonstrated strong engagement across CHPW’s product lines, including Medicare and Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) members who completed at-home colorectal screenings through the FITCHEK program. Targeted outreach, multilingual communications, and breast cancer screening events hosted at Community Health Centers (CHCs) further expanded reach to priority populations and supported earlier detection for breast cancer.

With preventive screenings declining during the pandemic and disparities persisting across cancer outcomes, MemberFirst™ reflects CHPW’s commitment to closing those gaps through practical, high‑impact solutions. Building on early momentum, CHPW will continue refining the program in 2026 to increase members’ participation in preventive care and improve health outcomes statewide.

New Care Model for Medicare Members: Community Visit Program

CHPW’s Community Visit Program is redefining managed care delivery for Medicare members by meeting them at home and in their daily routines. This new model of care, developed in partnership with seven CHCs who see CHPW’s largest Medicare membership, was implemented to align with each CHC’s unique infrastructure to ensure the best integration of care between CHPW and clinic staff.

In this community-visit model, the CHC’s staff (Community Health Workers, Medical Assistants or Social Workers) or CHPW’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) meet with members in their home to facilitate clinician visits thorough telehealth, complete health assessments, connect them with other health care providers, and assess for any additional social services.

Staff visits to members in their homes provide an important connection for those who may not be accessing services at clinic sites or who may not fully recognize or communicate their unmet needs. By meeting members where they live, staff gain a clearer understanding of daily challenges and circumstances, allowing them to identify barriers, build trust, and provide more personalized and effective support.

CHPW collected feedback on the Community Visit Model through surveys distributed to members and providers at CHCs who had participated in the model for one year. These providers responded overwhelmingly positively about the program, highlighting improved member engagement and strong collaboration with the CHPW care management team. Additionally, CHPW monitored key performance indicators—including cost, utilization, and quality metrics such as seven-day and 30-day readmission rates—to assess program effectiveness and guide ongoing improvements, with several measures exceeding performance targets. This care model clearly shows the power of the unique, integrated relationship CHPW has with CHCs to try new programs, allocate resources, improve quality scores, and remove barriers to holistic care.