Exciting Updates and New Opportunities for the HRSA Community Health Worker Training Program

In the first week of September, we had the privilege to host a delegation of representatives from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) from Washington DC. We were given the opportunity to share our Community Health Worker (CHW) initiatives, including our training and apprenticeship programs and our Eastern Wa CHW Network.

In preparation for this meeting and in celebration of the National Community Health Workers Awareness Week, we released interviews highlighting local CHWs as our ‘Everyday Superheroes.’ We shared a digital campaign across various platforms to highlight the small victories and the unfailing courage of our region’s CHWs.   Read more here.

We look forward to the future of our Community Health Worker programming as we work to support and build up community-based care coordination in the region.

Interested in getting involved? There are opportunities for you!

Upcoming Training Cohort

The training for new CHWs consists of a 10-week CHW Core Competency Course provided by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and 3 additional courses supplemented by BHT. Participants will acquire core competencies for CHWs regarding public health and health services that follow state, local, and federal guidelines. The courses are provided quarterly and can be done online and self-paced.

We can’t believe we are getting ready to begin our 7th CHW Training Cohort for those new to the community health field in September! The Winter Training Cohort application will open in early December. For those who are interested in learning more or being on the notification list, please click here.

Upskill Training Opportunities

Our 2nd Upskill Training Cohort ended in August with 5 graduates. These graduates are existing CHWs who received more training in CHW professional skills, public health, and health equity. We are going to be launching the next Upskill application in early October. For those who are interested in learning more or being on the notification list, please click here.

For more information about the community health worker program, please contact Kim Wilson at kim.wilson@betterhealthtogether.org.

The Better Health Together Community Health Worker Training program 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 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.gov.