Funds will support the development and implementation of a Community Health Worker Training Program
Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), a nonprofit public health institute that creates and sustains healthier communities, has been awarded a $3 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) to launch a Community Health Worker (CHW) Training Program in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The grant is part of $226.5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to increase the number of community health workers throughout the country, strengthen the public health workforce, and reduce health disparities.
CHWs play a critical role in connecting vulnerable communities to care, including COVID-19 care, mental health and substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery services, chronic disease management, and other important health services. PHMC will partner with subsidiary National Nurse-Led Care Consortium (NNCC) to implement a new, three-year initiative with the goal of building trust, empowering CHWs, and engaging communities and individuals. Plans include providing competency-based training, technical assistance for new and seasoned health service workers, and connecting CHWs with internships, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training programs.
“As trusted messengers representing the diversity of the communities they serve, CHWs are uniquely positioned to advance health equity by connecting individuals to necessary public health resources, primary care, and behavioral health services,” said Stephanie Shell, Managing Director of Strategy Development at PHMC. “We are thankful HRSA, and the Biden Administration is recognizing the important role CHWs play – especially at this time of stark health inequities – and we look forward to further supporting the health care workforce and bridging access to care.”
HRSA estimates an increased demand for CHWs of up to 11 percent between 2016 and 2030, and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the current CHW shortage of 7.2 million to grow to 18 million by 2030 worldwide. Through the new program, HRSA aims to train more than 13,000 CHWs throughout the U.S., with PHMC hoping to reach more than 240 across Delaware and Pennsylvania.
This grant builds on PHMC work to support CHWs throughout the region and arm them with the information and resources to reach underserved individuals and families. In September 2022, PHMC launched the HRSA funded “My Vaccine Counts” campaign to provide CHWs with toolkits, videos, and training to help increase COVID-19 vaccinations in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Posted In Nonprofit