"Project Jump Start" is being carried out by The University of Arizona Rural Health Office as funded by the U.S. Department of Education through its Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education. This project creates a partnership between four of the state's community colleges, three rural Area Health Education Centers, and multiple community health and human service agencies to establish a competency-based and college credit bearing core curriculum for "community health workers." It incorporates national guidlines for core roles and competencies, evaluation, and career progression recommended by a National Community Health Advisor Study. The presentation will describe the basic certificate curriculum that has been pilot tested in the community colleges with 31 students. The 16 credit program will be described and courseware will be shared. The project's outcome evaluation/lessons learned, one year from initial implementation will be particularly shared.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participants in this session will be able to: 1. Describe a community college curriculum of 16 credits designed to prepare community health workers with a basic certificate of core competence. 2.Identify and describe key challenges, barriers, and strategies experienced by four community colleges with the delivery of this curriculum for rural and non-traditional students (promotores, CHAs, and CHRs)
Keywords: Certificate Program, Outcome Measures
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: University of Arizona Rural Health Office
Pima Community College
Central Arizona College
Cochise College
Northland Pioneer College
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.