Development of coordinator competencies for the Stanford chronic disease management program in Maryland

Community health workers are engaged in multiple settings to educate and promote healthy lifestyle practices.  One such program is the Stanford Chronic Disease Management Program, an evidence-based practice which is used nationwide.  In Maryland, the program, called Living Well, is administered through a partnership between the State Department of Aging and county-based organizations. Coordinators are hired to manage the program within each county. These coordinators come from various backgrounds; they may hold split positions and also have varied experience teaching the program.  Because of this diversity, the State wanted to better understand which competencies they possess that enables them to be successful.  The University of Maryland Extension and the State Department of Aging partnered to explore and identify these competencies.  As a result a research project focusing on competency development and identification with related health professions was initiated. Using this knowledge, focus groups were held at the annual coordinator training in September 2013 to ascertain from the coordinators themselves what skills and knowledge they felt were important to the position.  Results were reviewed and categorized by the University, verified by the Department of Aging and validated again by the coordinators.  Results indicate six competency domains for Living Well Coordinators: communication, evaluation and assessment, management, education and training, technology and professional behavior and skills.  Discussion and recommendations will center on the specific tasks within each, the blurring and confusion of roles for coordinators and lay health educators, implications for hiring and training practices, and possible strategies for findings verification outside Maryland.