Community health workers (CHWs) are public health workers and trusted members of the communities they serve where they have often had their own lived experience.
CHWs have a diverse set of core competencies recognized by local, state, and federal governmental organizations. CHWs serve as a link in facilitating access to services and improving the quality and cultural competence of their delivery between the communities they serve and local health and social services.
CHWs are community connectors. They build trusting relationships with the individuals they serve, address barriers to health, and improve community and health outcomes. 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, social support, and advocacy.
Learners have accessed health-related courses on MCD's CHW program.
CHWs have graduated from MCD's Online Core Competency program.
Of CHW training participants report that they learned something new.
MCD provides CHW Core Competency Training to individuals who desire to become a CHW for their community. The CHW Core Competency aligns with the C3 Project CHW Roles and Competencies recommendations.
The training is virtual and includes a combination of self-paced, online instruction modules, including CHW foundations and health-focused competencies, assigned homework, and live virtual group sessions delivered by diverse and expert faculty, over eight weeks, and more.
MCD offers training designed and intended for CHWs and other individuals who assist clients in the prevention, management, and self-management of chronic conditions. These modules include a variety of topics, such as cholesterol, diabetes, COVID-19, telehealth, and cancer.
This program complements the CHW core competency training by providing individuals with added education, skill-building, and access to resources through MCD’s e-learning platform.
Axels Samuntu, outreach and training coordinator at MCD, with Hassan Guedi, who recently completed MCD's CHW training program and serves as executive director and co-founder of the Djiboutian American Community Empowerment Project (DACEP). "The training helped me understand how to navigate and do a service coordination with my community," Hassan said about MCD's CHW training.
Many in the health field ask how to become a community health worker. MCD is leading the training and advancement of the CHW profession in Maine and nationwide through several ongoing and new programs.
Through a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, MCD is implementing a multi-year CHW training program to provide core competency training, enhanced upskill training, and opportunities to participate in a Maine Department of Labor-certified CHW apprenticeship program.
This program supports the expansion of Maine's CHW workforce through various offerings, including tuition and financial support for new and eligible CHWs who attend MCD's CHW core competency training.
"If you are interested in becoming a CHW, are a CHW and want more training, or are an employer interested in employing CHWs, we are here for you," said Cristina Leal, senior manager of MCD’s CHW programs.
—Cristina Leal
Senior Program Manager of CHW Programs
MCD Global Health
The Maine Community Health Worker (MECHW) initiative develops a sustainable and competent community health workforce by delivering professional development training, providing peer-support opportunities, and advocating for systemic change that more fully integrates and financially supports the CHW profession.
