Monday, November 25, 2024
11/25/2024
Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU), Geisinger, and Pennsylvania’s Northcentral and Northeast Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), proposes Supporting Your Needs in Community Healthcare (SYNCH). Geisinger, a nationally recognized healthcare system, has restructured its clinical practice to incorporate a Community Health Worker (CHW) Career Ladder and implement a CHW Registered Apprenticeship. The PA AHEC delivers a 75-hour CHW curriculum approved by the PA Certification Board (PCB). PCB also approves trainers and certifies Health Support Workers (HSW) such as Certified Recovery Specialists. CSIU has a dozen years of experience providing trauma-informed, whole family case management to low-income individuals who have entered and proceeded along a Healthcare and Nursing Career Pathway. SYNCH will address health disparities within northcentral and northeastern Pennsylvania. The region is primarily rural with small cities. Its population is 88.5% white with pockets of minorities. Along I-81 lies Scranton (19.2% minority) which has opened its arms to refugees. Twenty miles southwest on I-81 is Wilkes-Barre (34.6% minority), deep in the heart of a once-thriving coal mining region. Thirty miles south is Hazleton with a large population of Hispanics (57.8%) many of whom work in meatpacking. Another 80 miles south is the capital of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg (51.7% Black). Members of these communities seeking healthcare often enter a system that does not mirror them, their communities, their cultures, and sometimes not their language. The region has a number of Health Professional Shortage Areas per data.HRSA.gov: 39 communities are medically underserved areas (MUA); 20 in urban areas and 19 in rural areas. Twenty-one counties have shortages in dental care and 19 counties have shortages of mental health workers. SYNCH’s goals and objectives can be summarized as the “Four E’s: Expansion, Extension, Employment, and Equity in Health.” To addr ess the health inequities within the region’s most vulnerable populations, SYNCH will: 1. Expand the number of new CHWs and HSWs in the region by 180. 2. Extend the skills and recognition of 60 incumbent CHWs by upskilling their training and helping them apply for certification by PCB for a total of 240 (180 + 60) trained and/or certified CHWs and Health Support Workers. 3. Employ 45 apprentices (25% of the 180) in a CHW Registered Apprenticeship. CSIU will recruit, help place, and support participants. Geisinger will implement a CHW Registered Apprenticeship which will include 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and at least 144 hours of related instruction. Over three years, 45 apprentices will be employed. AHEC will provide 75 hours of CHW training. An external evaluator will facilitate SYNCH progress and, in Year 3, conduct a return-on-investment study. Interwoven into SYNCH is a Career Web that visually illustrates how participants can enter into these careers, are an integral part of an integrated care team, and can grow professionally. To increase retention, Geisinger has developed a five-tier CHW Career Ladder. Apprentices begin at the Community Health Associate 1 level and automatically graduate to Community Health Associate 2 upon completion of the Registered Apprenticeship. A Health Services Associate Lead, the most senior level, can earn approximately $85,000, enabling CHWs to view it as a long-term career. By recruiting from, and placing in, underserved communities 240 CHWs and HSWs, SYNCH will mitigate the health disparities found in our region’s underserved communities, improve Social Determinants of Health, and increase physical and mental health outcomes.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
