CHWs for a Healthy VA

CHWS FOR A HEALTHY VIRGINIA

Community Health Workers for a Healthy Virginia (CHWs for a Healthy VA) is a 3-year capacity building project led by IPHI in partnership with a wide range of state and local partners across Virginia.

The initiative is funded through a national grant initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through the project, IPHI and its partners will deploy CHWs as a strategic intervention to assist communities in the response and recovery from COVID-19. The project will also develop and test innovative financing strategies to support the long-term sustainability of CHWs and community resource providers.

IPHI has partnered with numerous organizations across Virginia to hire CHWs to help with recovery and response. Through the grant, community-based organizations, healthcare providers, local health departments, and other partners will hire and deploy CHWs. IPHI will assist with training and provide technical assistance. These partners are addressing gaps in access to COVID-related services, such as testing, vaccination, and quarantine support, and responding to community needs exacerbated by COVID-19, such as access to health and mental health care, housing services, and food assistance.

IPHI is identifying high-priority communities and populations that would benefit the most from CHW interventions. Currently, the project focuses on Richmond and surrounding areas and southwest Virginia’s Mount Rogers area.

CHW regional conveners are working on expanding collaborations, increasing CHW’s presence, and informing external partners about IPHI’s work with CHWs. The following regional conveners are represented in each of the four areas:

Norfolk State University
Healing Hands Health Center
Richmond/Henrico Health District
Virginia Rural Health Association

IPHI works closely with the Virginia Community Health Worker’s Association to highlight CHW voices in Virginia.

Partners in Four Areas of Need

Southwest VA/Mt Rogers

Ballad Health
Healing Hands Health Center
Mount Rogers Health District

Norfolk/Portsmouth

Capital Center of VA (CCVA) – Urban Baby Beginnings (UBB)
Minority AIDS Support Services, Inc. (MASS)
Sentara Healthcare

Pittsylvania/Danville

Piedmont Access to Health Services (PATHS)
Sovah Health (Life Point)

Richmond/Petersburg

Richmond Henrico Health District (RHHD)
Central VA Health Services (CVHS)
Capital Center of VA (CCVA) – Urban Baby Beginnings (UBB)
Crossover Health Center
Health Brigade
Sacred Heart
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

CHWs for a Healthy Virginia project also intends to address the issue of sustainable financing for CHW programs. Historically, CHW-based community impact models has been limited by a lack of viable financing options. IPHI is developing a framework to identify, pilot, and evaluate CHW and community resource financing models. Then, in collaboration with local partners, IPHI will develop and pilot region-specific financing models for CHW and community resource providers to evaluate and demonstrate the return on investment and social benefits.

CHWs for a Healthy VA Fact Sheet
CHWs for a Healthy VA Press Release
The case investments in CHWs:
- Virginia Legislators
- Medicaid-Managed Care Organizations
- Virginia Healthcare Providers

This CHWs for a Healthy VA project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of financial assistance awards totaling over $13 million, with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

To learn more about CHWs for a Healthy VA, please contact Senior Program Manager Valerie McAllister at [email protected] or visit: chwsforahealthyva.com

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Posted on February 6, 2023February 20, 2023 by iphiadmin

IPHI Hosts Maryland’s First Statewide Food Summit

IPHI hosted Maryland’s first statewide food summit, Developing a Maryland Food Charter: Statewide Summit, on October 15, 2015. The event included nearly 60 participants from all five regions of the state.

The summit focused on the following:

The current status of potential food systems issues at the state-level
An overview of the outcomes and themes that arose at the regional convenings
Finalizing and prioritizing the strategies across the five food system domains included in the Maryland Food Charter

What is the change you want to see?

A panel of experts answered this question from Grow & Fortify, Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, Baltimore Office of Sustainability, Maryland State Department of Education, and Center for a Livable Future. Their perspectives guided the development of the Maryland Food Charter.

All summit participants refined and strengthened strategies that were included in the first-ever food charter. They also assessed the feasibility of the collective action strategies.

To view and download the Maryland Food Charter, click: here.

Strengthening the CHW Workforce

Two men shaking hands while a family hugs in the background.

Strengthening the CHW Workforce

Policy initiatives to support the development, use, and finance of the community health worker (CHW) workforce.

The District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia stakeholders have worked to define the CHW scope of practice, core competencies, training requirements, make CHW certification recommendations, and finance preventive health services. IPHI has been highly involved in these efforts and is available to provide information or help organizations and localities get involved.

CHW workforce development in Virginia:

Resources:

Virginia CHW Registry

For additional information, see this Spring 2018 update on CHW certification.

To learn more about IPHI’s CHW policy work, please contact [email protected].

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Zee Turner Center

Zee Turner Center for CHW Workforce Development

The Zhilphia “Zee” Turner Center for Community Health Worker Workforce Development (Zee Turner Center), formerly known as the Center for Community Health Workforce (CCHW), is a regional center for excellence that advances community health worker (CHW) practice, research, and policy.

The CCHW was launched in 2013 to grow opportunities for peer-based workforce strategies. Specifically, the center was created to develop and support the community-based health workforce and CHWs. The new name, Zee Turner Center, is in memory of CHW Zhilphia “Zee” Turner. Zee Turner was an IPHI employee who dedicated 15 years of her life to serving the Washington, DC, area. As someone who lived with a chronic health condition for 24 years and overcame adversity, Zee used her experience to help communities with substance use addiction and HIV/AIDS.

“When I get notice that people are out of care, I call them. If I get no answer, I send them a letter – or I go knock on their doors. I try to fix some of the barriers that led them out of care and I work with their case workers to get them back to taking their medicines.”

– Zee Turner in the Washington Informer

Zee was an educator, mentor, and advocate through IPHI’s Positive Pathways initiative. Her unwavering dedication and genuine care for those around her made her a beloved figure in the community. At the 2014 Unity National CHW Conference, Zee was awarded the posthumous Esther M. Holderby CHW Special Recognition Award. IPHI proudly honors her CHW legacy by naming this regional center for excellence after her.

The Zee Turner Center is a CHW center divided into three main groups:

1) Training Programs & Technical Assistance,

2) CHW Initiatives/Implementation, and

3) Policy, Advocacy, and Research

The Zee Turner Center priorities:

Develop CHW regional standards and scopes of practice
Enhance teaching program for CHW training and continuing education
Support CHW network development across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia
Consult and provide technical assistance to organizations requesting help in planning, operating, and evaluating CHW programs
Support the effective integration of CHWs into clinical and community-based teams and design policies and programs that facilitate CHW retention
Research and find innovative CHW models
Serve as a clearinghouse for regional. national, and international CHW best practices
Support policy development to finance and sustain CHW service models across the region

To learn more about the Zee Turner Center, please contact [email protected] or visit IPHI’s events and webinars page to stay updated with CHW opportunities.

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Events & Webinars

Community Health Worker Academy

Community health workers (CHWs) celebrating with their certificates after completing a CHW training.

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER ACADEMY

The Community Health Worker (CHW) Academy is IPHI’s training institute dedicated to expanding the public health workforce. The CHW Academy is a Zee Turner Center for Community Health Worker Workforce Development initiative, formerly known as the Center for Community Health Workforce (CCHW).

The CHW Academy will train new and existing CHWs in the District of Columbia and neighboring counties in suburban Maryland and northern Virginia. The program aims to increase access to care, improve public health emergency response, and address under-resourced communities’ unmet public health needs by enhancing the skills of existing CHWs.

Public health needs are unmet when capacity, services, and resources are limited. Through the CHW Academy, IPHI aims to expand the critical role of CHWs to improve public health emergency response and help under-resourced communities gain access to care. This initiative was made possible by a three-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

To put this plan into action, IPHI:

Provides specialized training, continuing education opportunities, financial support, and mentorship to CHWs.
Facilitates field placements and apprenticeships with community partners to increase the experience, quality, and job readiness of CHWs.
Recruits CHWs from communities that are disproportionately impacted by social determinants of health. By recruiting people from more affected areas, the public health workforce can effectively connect with populations through unique experiences and perspectives.

If you have been a CHW for at least two (2) years with knowledge about CHW work and are committed to coaching, apply to be a CHW mentor: here!

The CHW mentor will be paired with recent students and devote at least one (1) hour per month to each mentee. CHW mentors will receive a small stipend for their guidance.

The CHW Academy 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 100% financing from HHS/HRSA 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.

To learn more about the Community Health Worker Academy, please contact [email protected] or apply below.

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Apply

Virginia CHW Workforce Development Council

A few individuals laughing and collaborating with each other in a circle.

VIRGINIA CHW WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

Virginia (VA) Community Health Worker (CHW) Workforce Development Council identifies and promotes policies and systems-level strategies to advance and sustain the CHW workforce.

The council convenes CHWs, CHW program representatives, and stakeholders who focus on expanding the CHW workforce to achieve health equity, reduce racial imbalances, and address health disparities. IPHI facilitates ongoing engagement to ensure diverse voices set priorities and direction in policy, promotion, and sustainability of CHW programs.

The council is made up of three committees:

Curriculum, Training, and Certification
Financing Measurement and Evaluation
Policy and Communication

The council and its three committees meet quarterly. If you’re interested in becoming a member, click: here.

Resources:

The council will meet virtually and bi-monthly on the second Wednesday of the month. The upcoming dates include:

April 12, from 2 to 4 p.m.
June 14, from 2 to 4 p.m.

The committee meetings will be held in between the full council meetings.

To learn more about the Virginia CHW Workforce Development Council, please contact Program Manager Kelly Evans at [email protected] or visit: www.chwva.org.

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