PHMC received an award of $2.4 million over four years from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop a specialized behavioral health learning pathway as an enhancement to our existing Community Health Worker (CHW) training program, CHW CORE (Certification, Opportunities, and Readiness for Employment).
CHW CORE offers training and support to grow the community health workforce across Pennsylvania and Delaware. Through this new funding, PHMC aims to train 116 behavioral health CHWs.
CHWs advocate for healthier communities and help people navigate the health landscape with the goal of reducing health disparities. The training program, which includes 75 hours of core competency training and up to one year of field placement with a community-based health organization, focuses on health literacy, trauma-informed care, Narcan & first aid training, and professional ethics.
The grant from HRSA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is part of HHS’ Health Workforce Initiative, which invests in recruiting, training and supporting the health workforce to make high-quality care accessible for all.
