Past, Present, Future

(Click here to see Model)

Overview: the Community Health Innovations organization was developed by the Transcultual Community Health Initiative (TCHI):

From Health Disparities to Health Equity.

Where we have been and Where we are going –  TCHI’s Plan has been to Connect and Collaborate with Communities of Interest on Community and Community Health Worker Workforce Development

Past: Building the Foundation – TCHI work Accomplished

2003 TCHI Community Oriented Advisory Board Established to address Health Disparities

  • Multidisciplinary Academicians
  • Community Based Organizations
  • Public Health Officials
  • Community Businesses and other Agencies and Institutions

Consensus to focus on CHW workforce development as one mechanism to address Health Disparities through community capacity building, community engagement and for community driven planning process and decision making

2004 TCHI RIF Roundtable Series Monograph TCHI Roundtable Monograph

  • CHW Rationale
  • Curriculum Development
  • Mechanisms for Funding for Sustainability

CHW entry level curriculum using adult education methods

  • Nationally recognized Core Skills
  • Remedial literacy essential skills program located at Camp Street Community Ministries
2005 Preliminary CHW Survey in Response to:
  • Questions of who RI CHWs were
  • Preliminaries to the Establish an Association
2004 – present National Efforts in CHW workforce and Research Development
  • American Public Health Association Special Interest Group on CHW – now a Section
  • Committee on Proceedings for a National Research Agenda for the CHW Field Oct 2007
  • Submission for Bureau of Labor Statistic request for recognition of CHWs as an professional occupation.  Standard Code for CHW established on July 7th 2010
  • Steering Committee for the Development of the American Association of Community Health Workers

Past to Present Local Efforts – Work in Progress TCHI and other Programs

Identified community based organizations for implementation of CHW program.

  • Camp Street Community Ministries2005-2007
    • Resource Center
    • CHW workshops
    • Nonviolence workshops
    • SMART remedial literacy life skills program
  • Socioeconomic Development Center for South East Asians
    • Kellogg’s Planning Grant to address Asian American Health Disparities – Planning Grant
    • Community Advisory Board and Coordinating Committee Development

Statewide CHW survey through Department of Labor and Training  funded through Making Connections Casey Foundation  – DLT Community Health Worker released September 2009 communityhealth.htm

Feasibility Study and Community Health Worker forums to establish a chw association and/or network. The Community Health Worker Association of Rhode Island was established in June of 2009. www.chwassociationri.org

Collaboration with CCRI to establish a career path certificate and degree program with transferable credits for Community Health Workers.  A experimental Health and Social Service awaits implementation with a the CHI CHW as one of the courses available.

Contributions to House and Senate to create legislation on Health Equity. Last bills submitted during the 2010 General Assembly with passage by the Senate.

Organizations identified and/or working with, with similar or overlapping missions

  • Past DOH Minority Health Promotion Centers, i.e., SEDC, CHisPA
  • Brown University’s AHEC
  • RIDE Office of Adult Education
  • Prairie Avenue Revitalization
  • Welcome Back Center at Dorcas Place
  • Life Span’s Stepping up Program
  • International Institute and Memorial Hospital Community Health Supporters for Refugees
  • Ocean State Action
  • United Nurses and Allied Professions
  • Neighborhood Health Plan
  • Rhode Island for Community and Justice

Future: Coalition for Systemic Reform

Work and coordinate with contemporaneous efforts across Rhode Island’s core cities in building capacity for community health workers in the community and career path with the Community College of Rhode Island.

To run community health workers programs to teach current providers the core skills, learn community focus and engagement and become instuctors/facilitators, provide programs to develop more chws and work with Communities of Interest on Community, Development of Partnerships (i.e., comunity-campus partnerships),   Community Heath Workforce Development and Policy.

  • Coalition Building
  • Rhode Island Community Health Worker Capacity building
  • Leadership Development
  • Resource Development
  • Policy and Legislation Development
  • Advocacy for Community Mobilization and Demand
  • Job creation:
    • Workforce pathway development for community and other health worker workforces.
    • Demonstration programs
  • Participatory Research for workforce and community assessment, data collection and evaluations
  • Infrastructure development
    • Support workforce development
    • Address sustainable resources
    • Address standards and credentials
    • Continue to develop and monitor Community Health Worker workforce growth and demand
    • Institutionalization through career path development

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