MEDIA CENTER

CONTRACT WITH IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND WELFARE

So excited to announce ICHWA has been awarded a contract with the DHW Diabetes and Chronic Disease Section to promote the CHW profession through training, conferences and much more. A big thank you to Idaho's Department of Health and Welfare for their continued support.

CHW TRAINING

Idaho Community Health Worker Training

Idaho State University

Community Health Worker Training

A Capacitación de Promotores de Salud Comunitaria

How can I become a Community Health Worker?

The Community Health Worker training course is designed to provide core competencies for Community Health Workers (CHWs). It includes key concepts of public health, outreach, advocacy, community and individual assessment, social determinants of health, health education, navigating insurance, stages of behavior change, service coordination and more.

The CHW course costs $175 and includes the core course curriculum and five Health Specific Modules. We will be offering the course during the Spring 2022 semester. Please visit ISU CE/WF Website to create a profile, register, pay, and enroll. There is no application needed to attend.

What Is A Community Health Worker?

The American Public Health Association defines a Community Health Worker (CHW) as “a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the CHW to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services 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."

CHWs play an important role as a bridge between traditionally underserved populations and needed health information; support and care; as well as basic and social services. CHWs often assist in disease prevention as well as in addressing the following: chronic disease management, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, substance abuse, asthma and others. Key CHW roles include outreach, health education, client advocacy and empowerment, as well as health system navigation. CHWs are distinguished from other health professionals because they are hired primarily for their special connection to and understanding of the populations and communities they serve, conduct individual and community outreach a significant portion of the time, and have experience providing services in community settings.