Better Health Partnership is thrilled to be part of a new Community Health Worker Capacity Building Collaborative, led by the MetroHealth System, to increase the number of front-line public health professionals who are the link between health and social services providers in Northeast Ohio. This 3-year project, supported with nearly $3 million in federal funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration, is part of a nationwide effort to build the pipeline of Community Health Workers (CHWs) to increase access to care, improve public health emergency response and address the public health needs of underserved communities.
The goal is to recruit and train a minimum of 240 trainees over three years. A significant portion of the funding will go directly to individuals training to be CHWs in the form of stipends to help overcome potential barriers – including application costs and transportation – to enrolling in and completing the necessary training and certification.
This Collaborative includes health systems, CHW training programs at Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland State University and Kent State University, and other county and community partners throughout Northeast Ohio.