What is a Community Health Worker?

A Community Health Worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member or has a particularly good understanding of the community served. A CHW serves as a liaison between healthcare and social services and the community to facilitate access to services, to improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery, and through these means work to improve the health and wellbeing of members of the community in which they (often live) and work.

CHWs might be known by other names, such as promotores de salud, lay health advisors, community health representatives, peer mentors, or peer navigators. Learn more about CHWs and training opportunities in Pennsylvania by visiting our new and evolving website www.pachw.org.

What do Community Health Workers do?

Be an active member of the primary care team providing a wrap-around approach to health care by supporting the provider team by addressing needs in the community.

Assist in enrolling people in the marketplace.

Build capacity to engage people culturally – break down barriers and provide culturally appropriate health education information.

Develop leadership skills so they can go on to participate in other venues and ‘advocate’ for work to address health disparities.

The Southcentral PA Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) offers a 100-hour training program designed to provide the core competencies needed for work in community-based and inpatient settings. The training also provides comprehensive information about accessing healthcare and other social/community resources which are specific to the particular area where the training takes place.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of the program, participants will obtain:

Community Health Worker Instructional Hours Needed for Pennsylvania Certification.

CPR/AED/First Aid Certification.

Mental Health First Aid Certification

If your organization is interested in having a group of employees trained, the CHW Training can be modified to meet the needs of your organization and the community which you are located.

For more information or for upcoming classes please contact:

Sharon Adams, BA, RN at sadams@scpa-ahec.org or Sherri Platt, BSN, RN at splatt@scpa-ahec.org.