State Use of Paraprofessional Providers for Children and Youth with Chronic and Complex Needs

Community-based paraprofessional providers can help states improve access to pediatric services and address workforce shortages for children with chronic and complex needs (CCCN), who often face challenges obtaining specialty and mental health care. This workforce includes a range of non-clinical, non-licensed providers who serve children, youth, and/or adults, typically leveraging community knowledge, trusted relationships, and lived experience with chronic or complex conditions. As paraprofessional providers can deliver cost-effective care, states are expanding use of this workforce to improve access to and quality of care for CCCN and their families.

This brief, produced by the National Academy for State Health Policy, examines three states’ cross-sector approaches—Georgia, North Carolina, and Rhode Island—to deploying paraprofessionals to serve CCCN, highlighting provider types, qualifications, training and certification requirements, services, and financing strategies. While each state outlines a distinct model, the brief also identifies common approaches to help states formalize and expand the paraprofessional workforce serving CCCN.