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In development – stay tuned!
Please contact us at admin@conect-with-us.org or klasse@dyc.edu with questions!
The Buffalo Community Health Worker Training Program
The Buffalo Community Health Worker Training Program (CHWTP) aims to provide Core Competency training to new Community Health Workers (CHWs) in our region and advanced CHW training to existing CHWs. This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through an award totaling $2,999,835. The HRSA grant is led by D’Youville University. Key partners include CoNECT/Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo, the Buffalo Urban League, the University at Buffalo and many additional community partners.
Project Leadership
- D’Youville Project Director: Renee Cadzow, PhD
- D’Youville Data and Operations Coordinator: Erin Klass, MBA
- CoNECT/CHWNB: Co-Project Director: Jessica Bauer Walker, CHW
- Buffalo Urban League Lead: Melissa Spikes-Archer, PMHNP-BC, BSN
- Buffalo Urban League Career Coaching Supervisor: Belinda Gaiter, CHW
- University at Buffalo Lead: Gina Prescott, Pharm.D., BCPS, FCCP
Contact Us
Renee Cadzow, PhD
D’Youville Project Director
cadzowr@dyc.edu
Erin Klass, MBA
D’Youville Data and Operations Coordinator
klasse@dyc.edu
Project Goals
Our goals for the CHWTP are to expand the public health workforce by training new and existing CHWs, advance health equity and support for historically marginalized communities, expand educational training curriculum, reduce barriers to CHWs by providing eligible trainees with participant support, and establish a network of partnerships by creating new or leveraging existing relationships with entities organizations.
Other program goals and objectives include:
- Increase CHW employment readiness through field placements and apprenticeships developed in collaboration with a network of partnerships that will enable trainees to respond to and support essential public health services and provide them with employment opportunities.
- Provide job placement services and on-the-job experiential training to new CHWs
- Address critical gaps in public health and community needs that can be filled by CHWs in communities that are disproportionately burdened by health inequities, limited access to technology, and the social determinants of health.
- Increase the distribution and diversity of the CHW workforce by recruiting, training, or employing individuals who will serve in historically marginalized communities as integral members of integrated care teams.
Who are Community Health Workers?
“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 worker 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.” (APHA CHW Section https://www.apha.org/apha-communities/member-sections/community-health-workers)
CHWs have a foundation of essential qualities on which they build their practice (which includes skills, knowledge, and an understanding of CHW roles).
Learn more about Community Health Workers at the following sites:
About the Core Competencies Training
The CHW Core Competencies Training, administered by the Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo in partnership with D’Youville, provides participants with an overview of critical community health and education issues and familiarizes trainees with a historical overview of practice of public health and health care, theories of cognitive development, the ethic of care and social responsibility/social justice, stages of behavior change, and strength-based approaches to individual and community development. This 28 hour/4-day training is interactive, participatory and accommodates individuals with various learning styles and preferences. Trainers have extensive knowledge, skills, and experience in the content areas and community and supervisory experience. Research and training materials are based on national best practices and infused with local context.
Topics and competencies covered in this training include:
- Communication and Listening
- Connecting the Dots- Health, Education and Wealth
- History and Role of Community Health Workers
- Privilege and Power (Cultural Competency)
- Strength-Based Approach to Care (Trauma-Informed Care)
- Ethics of Care
- Supporting Positive Behavior Change (Stages of Change and Restorative Practices)
- Popular Education
- Safety and Self-Care
- Community and Cultural Competency
- Asset-Based Community Development
- Research, Policy and Advocacy
- Cultivating Connection
"It made me view things differently...Opened my eyes to the connections and people and the power we have when we work together."
About Advanced/Specialty CHW Training
Advanced and specialty training is being developed for CHWs working in many different sectors. This includes, but is not limited to:
- School-based health and advocacy
- Housing and environmental health
- Food and nutrition
- Maternal/child health
- Mental Health
- Chronic disease management
- Research
- Violence prevention
- Arts and Culture
- CHW Leadership and organizing
- CHW Train the Trainer
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Internship and Apprenticeship Opportunities
Partners
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