Southeast PA Area Health Education Center Offering Community Health Worker Trainings

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are frontline public health workers who assist in improving quality of care and breaking down barriers to treatment. CHWs bridge cultural, linguistic, knowledge and literacy differences among individuals, families, communities, and providers. As members of the community they serve, they help build trust and open lines of communication.

A CHW may go by many titles, such as: Community Health Representative, Community Health Advisor, Health Coach, Family Advocate, Health Educator, Liaison, Outreach Worker, Patient Navigator, Public Health Aide, Patient Care Coordinator, or Promotor(a) de Salud. Likewise, CHWs work in a wide variety of settings that may include hospital systems, non-profit and faith-based organizations, public and private clinics, educational systems, learning extension centers, or public agencies. CHWs may even provide services to patients through home visits.

CHWs are trusted members of their communities with a passion for helping others prevent or manage disease or other physical or behavioral health issues. Studies have shown that CHWs have a positive impact on patient health by decreasing missed appointments, increasing medication regimen adherence, improving access to primary care and preventative services, and helping individuals manage chronic conditions.”

While some CHWs may have minimal formal training in medicine or health, they tend to have an intimate knowledge of their communities and local resources.

CHWs provide a wide variety of services, such as health promotion, interpretation or translation services, health system navigation, advocacy on behalf of patients and their families, outreach before appointments, including appointment reminders, outreach to ensure adherence to treatments and medications, home visits, arranging transportation, making connections to community resources or social services, and providing care coordination and case management.

The Southeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (SE PA AHEC), along with the other Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center (AHEC) regions, offers a 100-hour training program designed to provide the core competencies set by the Pennsylvania Certification Board needed for work in communitybased and inpatient settings. Core modules in this training program include, among others:

• Boundaries

• Building and Maintaining Relationships

• Communication, Networking & Conflict

• Documentation

• Chronic Disease

• Motivational Interviewing

• Accident Prevention

• Personal Safety

• Preventive Care

• Health Literacy

• HIPPA Privacy Rule

The curriculum utilizes various learning styles which include lecture, discussion, hands-on activities, guest speakers, specialized training, and student presentations. SE PA AHEC customizes each class according to the interests and roles of the trainees in each cohort by inviting guest speakers to present. Speakers from partner organizations have provided specified valuable trainings on topics such as interpersonal violence, Lupus, overdose awareness and reversal, and oral health, among others.

Grant funding and stipend support is available for select trainees. To learn more about the Southeast PA Area Health Education Center and their Community Health Worker Training Program, contact Christine Polit, Executive Director, at cpolit@sepaahec.org.