Community Health Workers
Community Health Workers (CHW) are members of the community who have an understanding of health systems, chronic conditions, disease prevention and community resources. CHWs can help any member of the community to navigate the Health Care System; they can help you finding resources in multiple areas, they can advocate on your behalf, set up doctor’s appointments, help you understand your diagnosis and treatment plan, help you establish patterns and behaviors that will keep you healthy.
CHC of Wyandotte County believes in the ability of Community Health Workers (CHWs) as agents of lasting change. According to APHA, CHWs “build individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy.”
In addition to their health knowledge, Community Health Workers have intimate knowledge of the community they work in and can provide unique insight to the strengths, weaknesses, and needs of those they serve.
What are Community Health Workers?
Interested in Becoming a Community Health Worker? Learn more in this video from MARC
Connect With Our Community Health Workers
Community Health Workers (CHWs) serve as a link between a patient and health or social service agencies, working to improve health outcomes by improving access to services and quality of care. CHWs are trusted members of the community and have a close understanding of the community they serve.
This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a link between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
Community Health Worker Core Competency Training
Community Health Council of Wyandotte County offers a Community Health Worker Core Competency Training Program for both Kansas and Missouri. Our CHW class meets the requirements to become credentialed in Missouri with the MO Credentialing Board, and certified in Kansas with the KS CHW Coalition. The MO CHW Credential application can be accessed here CHW-C Application – Missouri Credentialing Board the KS CHW Certification KSCHW Certification.
We use the Foundations for Community Health Workers text book version 3
The CHC course is offered several times a year with an in person format for $1,395.
To learn more about the CHW curriculum that CHC uses- please go here https://kschw.org/core-competency-education
To learn more about the MO Association of CHWs https://chwam.org/
To learn more about the KS CHW Collation https://kschw.org/
To learn more about the KC Regional CHW Collation https://www.marc.org/aging-health/community-health-workers
To learn more about CHWs in the nation, please go here https://nachw.org/ & https://www.apha.org/apha-communities/member-sections/community-health-workers
The completion of this training allows the participants to seek a CHW Credential through the Missouri Credentialing Board or a CHW Certificate through the Kansas CHW Coalition.
2024 Community Health Worker training cohort
