Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network Program - Applicant Organization Facility Type: Community-Based Health & Education Organization Project Director: Allison Washington, Associate VP of Community Outreach Email: awashington@delthealthalliance.org Phone: 662-390-6457 Proposed Workforce Training Track: Track 1 – Community Health Support Service Area: 12 wholly rural counties of Bolivar, Coahoma, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tunica, Warren and Washington in Mississippi. Network Partners: The Network consists of Delta Health Alliance (Lead Applicant) in Stoneville, MS; Leland Medical Clinic in Leland, MS; Delta Health System – The Medical Center in Greenville, MS; Delta Health System – Northwest Regional Hospital in Clarksdale, MS; Delta Council, an economic development agency in Stoneville, MS; South Delta Planning and Development District in Greenville, MS; Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, MS; Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead, MS; and the Social Services Collaborative. Total Funding Requested: $1,545,000.00 Period: August 1, 2022 – July 31, 2025 Capacity to Serve Rural Underserved Populations: Delta Health Alliance is a rural, community-based 501(c)3 organization in Washington County, located in the heart of our service area. DHA was founded in 2001 as a consortium of non-profit agencies and regional universities to coordinate programs and conduct research on issues that address critical health care and wellness gaps in the Mississippi Delta, designed and operated by the communities served. DHA currently oversees or coordinates 33 different community-based programs, most of which utilize Community Health Workers (CHWs) recruited from the communities they serve. DHA’s current staff of 438 FTE of specialists, educators, researchers, and support staff and 193 community outreach workers will provide the infrastructure, relationships, fiscal and grant management, and prior expertise necessary to implement a rural project of this scope. Project Summary: The TORCH (Training Our Rural Community Health) Workforce Project will address the critical need for trained public health professionals in our rural Mississippi Delta communities by developing and implementing a pipeline of workforce training for Community Health Workers to be placed with rural hospitals, clinics and other healthcare providers in the Delta. Participants will be recruited directly from our rural service area, working with local Career Coaches to develop personalize career goals and to enroll in valuable support services, then provided with CHW training accompanied by cross-training in high-value areas, including benefits counseling, medical coding and billing, and service coordination. A paid apprenticeship program will be established to provide trainees with real-work experience in CHW work in the region. The TORCH Workforce project will also incorporate doulas into our training program to respond to our region’s crippling rates of maternal and infant mortality, and to create additional paths to employment and career growth for those who call the Delta their home. Within this project, DHA will engage with the Mississippi State Department of Health to support their efforts to establish a state certification for CHWs, while establishing and supporting internship and job placement programs for graduates of this collaborative program. Funding Preference: DHA is requesting a funding preference based on Qualification 2: Medically Underserved Areas. All 12 counties served by our collaborative are located in MUAs. Special Consideration: Delta Health Alliance is requesting special consideration based on the inclusion of a signed MOU or Letter of Commitment from network partners included in Attachment 11.
