270347 Project ECHO's Innovative CHW Training Initiatives: Outcomes, Integration and Impact

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 : 9:10 AM - 9:30 AM

Kathleen Colleran, MD , Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM
Erika Harding, MA , Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM
Andrea Zurawski, RN , Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM
Venice Ceballos, CHW , Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM
     
Project ECHO is an innovative model of delivering healthcare to rural and underserved people throughout NM by training primary care providers via distance technology and case-based learning, along with patient co-management. This model has successfully been replicated at the VA across the US, at various US Universities, and in India. This award-winning model has now been applied effectively to the training of CHWs, Community Health Representatives, Promotores and Prison Peer Educators throughout NM. Project ECHO has trained four cohorts of diabetes specialist CHWs, one cohort of generalist CHWs, two cohorts of addictions specialist CHWs, hundreds of Prison Peer Educators and is preparing to launch a prevention specialist CHW training as well. We will present the ECHO model, objectives and methodology as well as the successes and challenges of our CHW training initiatives. We will also present data about our results, supervisor and provider attitudes toward CHW integration and utilization and data regarding impact of ECHO-trained CHWs on the chronic care team. We will also discuss how the ECHO-model of CHW training is being refined for national and international replication.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Communication and informatics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to describe the ECHO model of health care "workforce multiplication" and its relationship to CHW training and integration.

Keywords: Distance Education Development, Diabetes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Kathleen Colleran, MD, is a Professor of Medicine at UNMHSC. Dr. Colleran directs all ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) diabetes programs and projects. Dr. Colleran has received funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality under the Minority Research Infrastructure Program. Dr. Colleran received support from RWJF initiative to expand the role of community health workers as members of the diabetes team across rural and underserved areas of NM, using the ECHO model.
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.

Back to: 5045.0: CHWs Addressing Chronic Disease Across the Lifespan