244023 Using a CHW outreach team to promote development of CHW leadership and home visiting skills and encourage innovative solutions to CHW workforce challenges in order to sustain and grow a CHW program in Sonoma County, California

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Carol West, CHW; BSC OT; MBBCH; DCH , Community Health Worker Initiative of Sonoma County (CHWISC), Petaluma, CA
Janet Fisk, BS, RN, MPH-International Public Health , Health Sciences, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA
Colin Kopes Kerr, MD, JD, MPH , Board of directors, Sonoma County Academic Foundation for Excellence in Medicine;, Santa Rosa, CA
Cynthia Morfin, CHW , Community Health Worker, DVCOP; Santa Rosa Junior College CHW program in collaboration with Sonoma County Academic Foundation for Excellence in Medicine, Rohnert Park, CA
Imelda Vera, CHW , DVCOP; Santa Rosa Junior College CHW program in collaboration with Sonoma County Academic Foundation for Excellence in Medicine, Santa Rosa Junior College, Calistoga, CA
Shirley Davis, CHW , Health Sciences, Community Health Worker, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA
Sohier Vachon, CHW , Community Health Worker, DVCOP; Santa Rosa Junior College CHW program in collaboration with Sonoma County Academic Foundation for Excellence in Medicine, Windsor, CA
Shahram Eskandarnejad, MD , SRJC Health Sciences Department, Community Health Worker Program, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency Program, Sonoma County Academic Foundation for Excellence in Med, Sonoma, CA
The David Vanderryn Community Outreach Project (2010) Sonoma County, California, is an example of how funding for one CHW coordinator was effectively split between five CHW students, each with diverse language, ethnic and educational backgrounds; for 8 hours /week over one year. Volunteer hours arising out of the energy and devotion of the team far exceeded paid hours; each team member considering the learning and networking experience invaluable. Our primary objectives were to recruit referrals for the Santa Rosa Junior College CHW Home Visiting Program and promote the role of the CHW to health workforce policy makers, service providers, community leaders, philanthropists and potential CHW students. Supervision was by the SRJC CHW program director and a consulting physician from the Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency program. Referrals were dramatically increased to underserved culturally diverse clients. Presentations were made to three new classes of family medicine doctors who are now aware of the role of the CHW. CHW outreach workers participated in seminars, forums, health fairs and health issue advocacy groups; increasing the awareness of the CHW's potential role in each; found agencies open to CHW interns and created bridges to potential permanent employment. DVCOP demonstrates that a team of CHWs, using core CHW skills, is an effective way to leverage funding and creative energy; while training and supporting potential CHW leaders who will continue to train supervise and advocate for CHWs as sustainable solutions to, increasing access to quality, cost effective health care for underserved and culturally diverse people.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Other professions or practice related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Describe one new way to stretch grant funding to accomplish multiple objectives Identify and discuss how enabling a CHW outreach team can nurture CHW leadership, reinforce core competencies of the CHW and help to sustain and grow your CHW program Develop enhanced CHW home visiting skills with culturally diverse individuals and families List three benefits to job sharing

Keywords: Community Health, Leadership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a Community Health Worker and the outreach coordinator of the David Vanderryn Community Outreach Project
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.