Community Health Worker Core Competency Training

Our Core Competencies for Community Health Workers Training is a 90-hour curriculum with a required 50-hour practicum. Training methods combine presentations, short readings, videos, role plays, group discussions, specific health topics and other activities. Readings are from the textbook, Foundations for Community Health Workers, Second Edition.  Practicum discussion will take place during class and students will build a community resources binder and resume by the last day of the training.

CHW Definition: According to the Community Health Workers Association of Connecticut, a Community Health Worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member and has a close understanding of, and ability to communicate with the community served.

This trusting relationship enables the CHW to serve as a liaison-link-intermediary among the community, health and social services to facilitate access to resources and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.  A CHW also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy.

Core Competencies: Our Community Health Worker Core Competencies Training aligns with the core competencies defined by Connecticut State Innovation Model (SIM) CHW Advisory Committee. These include:

1. Outreach Skills
2. Individual and Community Assessment Skills
3. Communication Skills
4. Interpersonal and Relationship Building Skills
5. Education and Facilitation Skills
6. Service Coordination and Navigation Skills
7. Capacity Building Skills
8. Advocacy Skills
9. Evaluation and Research Skills
10. Professional Skills and Conduct

Our Knowledge Base of Health Topics: Finally, our health topic modules are interspersed throughout the curriculum and include the following:

• Physical activity and nutrition;
• Diabetes and diabetes complications;
• Use of Diabetes Cost Tool to manage the costs of diabetes self-management;
• Hypertension;
• Smoking and your health;
• Mental/behavioral health issues and their connection to physical health;
• Social determinants of health (SDoH) and related disparities and;
• The principles of health equity COVID-19 and telehealth.

Course Dates, Time, Location:

• Health worker training is virtual via zoom
• 90 hours, typically spread out over 11 -12 weeks
• We are able to offer a payment plan for this training
  $500 down followed by weekly payments over the duration of the training