Community Health Workers
February 22, 2023 -
 June 28, 2023
Select Wednesdays
1:00 PM -
 2:15 PM

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are a critical and growing workforce committed to the health and well-being of their neighbors and they are addressing barriers to care such as the primary provider shortage. The Health Resources and Services Administration estimates that there is an urgency for CHW training to meet the staffing demand within in rural communities which will grow 13% by the year 2030.

Supporting your community requires a range of capabilities such as community engagement, informal counseling, and advocacy, as well as knowledge of chronic disease management and social support services.

Whether you are a CHW seeking continuing education or part of the Colette Lamothe-Galette Community Healthcare Worker Institute (CLG-CHWI), or someone seeking a career change to become a CHW, you are welcome to attend this peer-led education and training series. It is designed to equip you with the information and tools you need to improve the overall health of New Jersey communities. All participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Series Leaders

  • Danica LaFortune, CD/CHW, NJ Doula Learning Collaborative Co-Director, Paid Leave/Affordable Care Act Ambassador with SPAN Parent Advocacy Network
  • Lisa Lawson, MSW, MBA, LCSW, CCS, Director of Clinical and Integrated Health Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton 
  • Gabrielle Milani, MPH, R-DMT, LCAT, Director of Clinical Outreach & Engagement, Lukin Center for Psychotherapy, Community Health Worker, WIC Program, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School 
  • Dhenu Solanki, MD, Assistant Professor Rutgers – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Eric B Chandler Health Center Eric B Chandler Health Center

Learning Objectives

After participating in ECHO, providers will be able to:

  • Demonstrate increased skills and capacity of CHWs to provide services and support for COVID-19 public health response efforts among priority populations 
  • Prepare CHWs for further integration into existing workforces providing care to priority populations
  • Identify community resources and clinical services to support improved health outcomes for those at highest risk in priority populations
  • Model evidence-based strategies and interventions to help build and strengthen community resilience to mitigate the impact of COVID-19

Continuing Education Accreditation

Continuing Education Accreditation not available for this series.

Colette Lamothe-Galette Community Healthworker Institute

In collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Health. The Rutgers Project CHW ECHO will reinforce and expand on classroom education provided by the CLG-CHWI.

The NJ Department of Health established the Colette Lamothe-Galette (CLG) Community Health Worker Institute through a NJ Department of Labor Apprenticeship program. The Institute is named in honor of Colette Lamothe-Galette, who unfortunately passed away in 2020 due to COVID-19 complications. The goal of the Institute is to create a standardized Community Health Worker training and certification program, resulting in a robust CHW workforce. This training program helps prepare and deploy an employee faction critical to the recovery and recuperation of New Jerseys’ most vulnerable communities. It creates a needed infrastructure to support CHWs, and the institutions they serve. Through this work, the NJDOH will create career pipelines for CHWs, enhance CHW skill sets and lead sustainability efforts to support this indispensable workforce.

Information regarding the growing staffing demand for Community Health Workers obtained from The Health Resources and Services Administration, to read more, click here.

Sessions

Think Cultural Health – Competence, Engagement, and Accountability
Wednesday • February 22, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
Social Determinants of Health
Wednesday • March 08, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
Pulmonary Disease, Asthma & Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Wednesday • March 22, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
 Management of Diabetes
Wednesday • March 29, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
 Children with Chronic Diseases & COVID-19
Wednesday • April 05, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
Self-Care Strategies & Reducing Stress: How to Manage Wellbeing
Wednesday • April 19, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
Signs of Depression & Anxiety Disorder
Wednesday • April 26, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
Domestic, Community Violence, and Maintaining Safety
Wednesday • May 03, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
Navigating Family Resources (Food Insecurities, Child Care, NJSNAP)
Wednesday • May 17, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
Local Department of Health Resources: Homelessness, Employment Resources, Government & Legal Assistance
Wednesday • May 31, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
Lack of Insurance Coverage & Medicare Care (Telehealth, Medicaid, Medicare)
Wednesday • June 14, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM
Housing and Resources
Wednesday • June 28, 2023
1:00 PM
- 2:15 PM