Applicant Name: Marillac Community Health Centers Applicant Address: 3201 S. Carrollton Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Project Director: Elizabeth Teague Contact Phone: (504) 307-1188 Email Address: eteague@dcsno.org Website: https://www.depaulcommunityhealthcenters.org/ Amount of funding requested: $3,000,000 Funding Preference: Qualifications 1 (individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds) and 2 (50% or more of graduates' work in an MUA/MUP) are met. A brief overview of the project as a whole: This proposal aims to recruit, educate, train and place Community Health Workers across the state of Louisiana. Project partners will develop and disseminate retention, sustainability, and health equity best practices. Leveraging long-time partnerships will provide opportunities for classes and apprenticeships to meet the requirements of this project. Effectively remediating health disparities requires community-wide efforts to reduce discrimination, increase access to health resources, increase educational and employment opportunities, and improve living environments. It is important to note that across the state, different communities have different cultural values, thus the importance of local CHW trainees to bridge the gap between the community and the health care system. Connecting socially vulnerable populations to continuums of care will improve health outcomes. Disseminating MCHC's practices around the sustainability of the workforce will be included in the work plan for this project. It will not be enough to build capacity across the state. How to support the work of CHWs will be shared via MCHC's resource guide for developing other Center's CHW training and placement program. Specific, measurable objectives that the project will accomplish: This funding will allow 280 individuals the opportunity for training as a CHW. Of the 280 trainees, 53 will be placed in apprenticeships, and 210 will find employment in the field.
HHS/HRSA clinical priorities that the project will address: Health Equity • Improve access to quality health services • Foster a health care workforce able to address current and emerging needs • Achieve health equity and enhance population health How the proposed project will be accomplished: MCHC will build on its present community health framework to recruit, educate, train, and place CHWs with their partners across Louisiana. Courses will take place locally for trainees or online in partnership with Louisiana State University (80 hours) and Delgado Community College (180 hours). This project will be recruiting trainees in year 1, Q1 and the first courses begin in Year 1, Q2. Trainees who have at least one year of experience in some aspect of the health care field will be directed to the LSU program. Newcomers to the field or recent graduates will be accepted into the Delgado program. Trainees will be offered a stipend, materials, and technology as part of this program. Apprenticeship sites will offer on-the-job training and mentoring. The apprenticeship sites will work toward accreditation with the Area Health Education Centers. Trainees will have a 1200-hour requirement. By training CHWs from the communities they serve, the project expects that they can act as a culturally sensitive bridge to connect patients to care networks. Special populations require outreach via creative means to mediate their health disparities. MCHC will share the strategies which have worked for them to make a CHW workforce a sustainable part of their service delivery systems.