Public Health Training for Community Health Workers

Welcome to Public Health Training for Community Health Workers!

Overview

Are you currently working as a CHW or in a similar health related field and would like additional training? The goal of this training is to educate CHWs and other front-line health workers to equip them with public health knowledge, skills and available resources to utilize when working with individuals. This is a free, online training that you will take at your own pace. Once you complete all of the modules, you will receive a certificate recognizing that you have completed the Public Health Training for CHWs. The series includes 11 modules.

1. Introduction to Public Health
2. Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health
3. Chronic, Congenital, & Inherited Conditions
   
4. Environmental Health
5. Health Insurance Basics
   
6. HIV, STI, & Hepatitis
7. Immunizations
8. Behavioral Health
9. Nutrition & Physical Activity (Part 1: Overview & Recommendations, Part 2: Nutrition & WIC)
10. Oral Health
11. Recognizing & Combating Misinformation

What is a CHW?

A community health worker (CHW) is 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 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. You can learn more about community health workers from the American Public Health Association (APHA).

Example job titles are:

• Health Promoter
• Promotor(a)
• Peer
• Community Health Representative
• Outreach Specialist
• Patient or Health Navigator
• Health Educator
• Case or Care Manager
• Health Advocate or Advisor
• Certified Application Counselor
• Community Health Educator
• Community Health Worker
• Care Coordinator
• Community Outreach Coordinator
• Family Resource Coordinator

Community Health Workers fill many roles in their positions, below are some examples of roles CHWs fill:

• Health Education and Promotion
• Advocacy and Support
• Care Coordination, Service Navigation or Both
• Cultural Competence
• Community Outreach
• Data Collection and Reporting
• Health Screenings and Referrals
• Capacity Building

The Public Health for Community Health Workers Series offers an introduction to public health and covers the core functions and essential services in public health.

Intended Audience

Community Health Workers or those fulfilling a community health worker role.

Pre-requisites/Learning Level

Ability to read and understand spoken English.

Learning Goal & Objectives

The overall learning goal of this series to educate CHWs and other front-line health workers to equip them with public health knowledge, skills, and resources to utilize when working with individuals within Iowa.

There are specific learning objectives for each module.

Competencies Addressed

Learners will gain knowledge in the core competencies for Public Health and Essential Public Health Services.

CEUs Offered

CEUs are not available for this training.

Cost

Free - there is no cost for this training.

Modality/format

Online self-paced, on demand.

Length

The total length of this series is between 10 to 12 hours.

Disclaimer

The Iowa Community Health Worker Training Program (CHWTP) is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3 million dollars with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S Government. For more information please visit HRSA.org.

Creation Date

January 2024 to August 2024