Community Health Worker Training
Community Health Worker Training Program
The Empowering the Masses Community Health Worker Training (CHW) Programs are a Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) approved CHW Training Site for both CHW 160- hour training and CEU training for CHWs and CHWIs.
Community health workers are an emerging workforce in health care settings, providing outreach, health education, care coordination and advocacy for underserved communities.
Community Health Worker is a term to describe front-line public health workers who may go by titles such as outreach worker, care guide, community health advisor, peer educator, promotor or community health representative.
What does a Community Health Worker Do?
CHWs improve individual and community health and access to care. They forge connections where people live, learn, work, play, pray, and age, from the inner city to rural communities.
Core CHW Roles
CHWs work in 10 roles and across 11 competencies to provide wraparound services and supports to our communities:
1. Cultural Mediation Among Individuals, Communities, and Health and Social Service Systems
2. Providing Culturally Appropriate Health Education and Information
3. Care Coordination, Case Management, and System Navigation
4. Providing Coaching and Social Support
5. Advocating for Individuals and Communities
6. Building Individual and Community Capacity
7. Providing Direct Service
8. Implementing Individual and Community Assessments
9. Conducting Outreach
10. Participating in Evaluation and Research
CHW’s are trained to make household visits in their community and identify early symptoms of diseases. At these household visits, CHWs are trained to provide health education on how to prevent disease as well as to identify any troubling symptoms.
CHWs are also trained to provide referrals to nearby clinics and health facilities for treatment, and to report the disease cases.
Community health workers have a deep understanding of local issues and resources; they often speak the language of the communities they serve and have a deep understanding of their culture. They are an increasingly key component of their communities health care team.
CHWs help to address the root of the issues that members of underserved communities face while also helping to free up valuable time of the clinical care team. CHWs can assist with issues that keep members of communities who suffer from huge Health inequities from addressing their health. They are perfectly positioned to address the Social Determinants of Health.
As trusted resources in their communities, CHWs can be instrumental in combatting misinformation, relaying public health messages, and ensuring community members are connected to services.
By addressing the immediate, urgent needs, members of our communities. Individuals are better able to focus and address their own personal healthcare issues and in turn educate their families. We strongly belief this will help to close the gap between communities as well as bridge the gap of health inequities of our underserved communities.
Now Accepting Applications for Our Next Class
The Community Health Worker (CHW) Certification will emphasize on the integration of the Community Health Worker in the community setting. The program will include hands on practice (experiential learning), group activities, demonstrations, role-playing, case studies, and simulations. Learner will have lots of opportunities for questions and answers and dialogue - not just with facilitators and instructors, but with their peers.
The CHW training consist of 160 hours of instructions with 20 hours in the each of the following competency areas:
Communication Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Service Coordination Skills
Capacity-Building Skills
Advocacy Skills
Teaching Skills
Organization Skills
Knowledge-based Skills
CHW Competencies
Core CHW Skills
CHW Competencies:
1.Interpersonal and Relationship-Building Skills
2.Service Coordination and Navigation Skills
3.Capacity Building Skills
4.Advocacy Skills
5.Education and Facilitation Skills
6.Individual and Community Assessment Skills
7.Outreach Skills
8.Professional Skills and Conduct
9.Evaluation and Research Skills
10.Knowledge Base
Participants can expect to graduate from the program earning a:
1. Community Health Worker Certification with a focus on Community Education
2. CPR Certificate
3. Mental Health First Aid Certificate
CHW Continuing Education- CEU’s:
Continuing Education is offered through Empowering the Masses a Texas Department of State of Health Services approved provider of Continuing Education. For Current CHWs and CHWIs.