Sunday, May 11, 2025
5/11/2025
Community Health Worker Training Program - PROJECT ABSTRACT Project Title: University of Montana Community Health Worker Training Program (UM-CHWTP) University of Montana, Center for Children, Families and Workforce Development 32 Campus Drive, Missoula MT 59812-0003 http://health.umt.edu/ccfwd/ PD/PI: Leigh Taggart, 406-243-5465; leigh.taggart@umontana.edu Overview of Project: With some of the highest rates in the nation of suicide, behavioral health and substance use disorders, the UM-CHWTP and its partners will take a network, collaborative approach to bridge a workforce need and serve a diverse population in Montana’s rural, frontier, tribal and underserved communities. After extensive Community Health Worker (CHW) evaluations and assessments conducted by UM, this training program will adopt a comprehensive definition of a community health support workforce. This UM research as well as planning input from health care, public health and community-based organizations throughout the state, has shown that Montana’s CHW needs are best met by focusing on recruiting and training new CHWs, upskilling existing CHWs, providing CHW Apprenticeships, and on Peer Support Specialists (PSS). Specifically, UM-CHWTP will: 1) Expand the public health workforce; 2) Extend and upskill the public health workforce; 3) Increase CHW employment readiness; and 4) Advance health equity and support underserved communities disproportionately burdened by COVID-19, health inequities, limited access to technology and social determinants of health (SDOH). Objectives: The following are UM-CHWTP’s specific/measurable objectives: 1) Expand the public health workforce by developing curriculum for the training of new and existing CHWs, including PSS, with an enhanced focus on behavioral and public health; 2) Expand the public health workforce by recruiting and training 190 new CHWs and Health Support Workers (HSW) with the use of core competencies focused on health equity and SDOH; 3) Extend the public health workforce b y developing new, advanced curriculum for existing CHWs that focuses on five upskilling modules – Behavioral Health; Public Health; Traditional Healing Practices; Maternal/Child Health; and Telehealth; 4) Extend the public workforce by upskilling 56 existing CHWs and HSWs with the use of core competencies focusing on health equity and SDOH; 5) Increase CHW employment and readiness by training at least 45 new CHWs who will complete a 2,000-hour Apprenticeship at partner sites in rural/underserved communities and at least another 100 who will complete 60 hours of experiential training at field practicum sites; and 7) Advance health equity and support underserved communities through a 25% increase in the number of CHWs in underserved communities. Proposed Services/Training: This project will utilize UM’s eLearning team to develop and deploy the CHW curriculum. Utilizing its robust, web-based eLearning training and tele-coaching course model, UM will provide curriculum for the following: 1) New CHWs who will complete a 13-week training with 17 online modules, a series of tele-coaching and three field practicums; 2) Upskilling existing CHWs who will complete a 12-week advanced eLearning and tele-coaching module (Phase 1) and the opportunity to provide peer coaching for new CHWs (Phase 2); and 3) CHW supervisors/employers who will complete a 4-week, annual training with five modules and three tele-coaching sessions. HHS/HRSA Clinical Priorities Addressed in UM-CHWTP: Improve access to quality health care and services; Foster a health care workforce able to address current and emerging needs; and Enhance population health and address health disparities through community partnerships. Funding Preference: UM-CHWTP serves individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds (Part 1) and graduate/complete training for large proportions of individuals who serve in medically underserved communities (Part 2). Documentation is included in Attachment 7. Total 5-Year Funding Amount Re quested: $2,930,656.
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).