Improving Pathways to Healthcare & Well Being
INTRODUCTION
Thousands of community health workers (CHWs) are helping their communities every day as family advocates, outreach workers and lay health educators. These workers help their neighbors navigate the healthcare bureaucracy and social system maze by breaking down the barriers to needed care. They provide a critical link to health care in multi-ethnic and underserved communities. In 2002, community leaders in Miami gathered to find a way to promote the value of CHWs. Led by the United Way of Miami-Dade, with support from the nonprofit Community Voices Miami, a plan was developed to establish a standardized CHW training curriculum that could offer a potential career path accepted as part of the integrated healthcare system.
THE COURSE
This course provides the basic foundation for the work of community health workers. The idea is to integrate the CHW training with the training and practices of existing preventative healthcare services. To that end, the curriculum includes an instructor's manual with detailed lesson plans, student workbooks that present a host of practical situations CHWs may encounter, information about resources and laws, along with videos and PowerPoint presentations to guide discussions.
GOAL
Ultimately, the goal is to develop a professional career track for community health workers while improving access to health care and social services in the community.
THE TRAINING
The purpose of CHW training is to increase the competencies of the staff providing services to children and families, and to expand the staff's knowledge of public health, family support and community-based service programs. The program aims to promote career development and recognition for workers who provide outreach, education, information, advocacy and support services to families.
The training is divided into four modules, with each module consisting of 10 sessions of 3 ½ hours each. The modules are: Essentials to Community Health Workers; Communication Skills; CHW skills; and Community Resources.
 |  |  |
FOR MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about the history of this work, visit
www.collinscenter.org or www.communityvoices.org.
To learn more about the curriculum or inquire aboutorganizing a class or purchasing the materials, contact:
Leda M. Perez, Vice President, Health InitiativesE-mail: lperez@collinscenter.org
Phone: 305-377-4484 or 305-767-4632