Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance

2021 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MINNESOTA SPONSORSHIP GRANT IN 2021 THE ALLIANCE CONTINUED TO BUILD UPON A MINNESOTA COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER REGISTRY WITH THE PURPOSES TO COLLECT DATA ON CHWS CERTIFICATION YEAR, CITY OF RESIDENCE, EMPLOYER, DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE (INCLUDING LANGUAGES SPOKEN) AND ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND CREDENTIALS. SINCE ITS FORMATION, THE ALLIANCE HAS CONTINUED TO PROMOTE, RECRUIT, AND MAINTAIN THE PLATFORM AS A RESOURCE FOR CHWS ACROSS THE STATE AND TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STATE OF THE CHW FIELD IN MINNESOTA. IN THE 2020-2021 ACADEMIC YEAR, THE UPDATED CURRICULUM WAS PILOTED. INCLUDED IN THE UPDATED WERE: "UPDATING EXISTING COMPETENCIES AND RESOURCES " ADDING RECOMMENDED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS'-BASED COMPONENTS BASED ON THE NATIONAL CHW CORE CONSENSUS PROJECT "INTEGRATING INFORMATION ON ASTHMA, TRAUMA INFORMED CARE AND MENTAL HEALTH; (4) STRENGTHENING THE MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING FOCUS "INCORPORATING UPDATED INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES AND RESOURCES "ADDRESSING PROFESSIONALISM AND "SOFT" SKILLS. BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MINNESOTA CULTURAL HUMILITY TRAINING "CHWS AS CATALYSTS FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE FOR HEALTH EQUITY" CHW STUDENT INTERNS WORKED WITH CHWS TO CREATE NEW CULTURE AND BELIEFS HANDOUT OUTS FOR KAREN, BLIND, DEAF, LGBTQ+ AND LGBTQ+ YOUTH POPULATIONS. A FOCUS GROUP OF WORKING CHWS REVIEWED THE DOCUMENTS, MADE SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGES AND APPROVED THEM. THESE DOCUMENTS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO WORKING CHWS THROUGH THE CHW REGISTRY AND ALLIANCE TRAININGS. THEY WILL ALSO BE SHARED WITH THE CHW CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS IN MINNESOTA FOR ONGOING USE WITH NEW CHW STUDENTS AS PART OF THE CHW CERTIFICATE CURRICULUM. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES MOTHERS IN RECOVERY PROGRAM WITH FUNDING FROM THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH THE ALLIANCE CREATED THE CHW MOTHER'S RECOVERY PROGRAM TRAINING PROGRAMMING. THE PROGRAMMING WAS HELD ONLINE AND TRAINED OVER 100 CHWS IN VARIOUS TOPICS SURROUNDING MOTHERS IN RECOVERY THROUGH A FIVE-WEEK COURSE AND TWO PART STAND-ALONE SERIES OF LECTURES AND DISCUSSION. GUEST SPEAKERS AND FACILITATORS FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF SUBJECT MATTERS SUCH AS SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND HOLISTIC HEALING. SCHMIDT FOUNDATION FUNDING WAS USED TO SUPPORT THE ALLIANCE IN CREATING A ROBUST ONLINE PRESENCE. THE ALLIANCE WAS ABLE TO BETTER SUPPORT THEIR WEBSITE, WHICH HOSTS THE STATEWIDE CHW REGISTRY, WITH THIS FUNDING BY HIRING TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND UPGRADING WEBSITE SECURITY. SERVICE DELIVERY IN 2021 THE ALLIANCE HIRED A PART TIME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND A REGISTRY MANAGER. THESE NEW POSITIONS ALONG WITH THE TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE GREATLY INCREASED THE ALLIANCE'S ABILITY TO PROVIDE ONLINE SERVICES SUCH AS ACCESS TO STAFF, INFORMATION AND WEBINARS, THE CHW REGISTRY WITH CORRESPONDING POSTS AND DISCUSSIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION POSTS AND CHW TOOLS AND RESOURCES. AN EMAIL NEWSLETTER REACHES OVER 800 PEOPLE, OUR REGISTRY OVER 150 PEOPLE, AND MONTH TO MONTH WEBSITE TRAFFIC IS OFTEN OVER 3,000 VIEWS. CHW CIRCLE THE CHW CIRCLE IS A PEER LEARNING CIRCLE THAT MEETS MONTHLY ON ZOOM AND IS ATTENDED BY CHWS FROM ACROSS MINNESOTA. AVERAGE ATTENDANCE AT THE MONTHLY CIRCLE IS ABOUT 20 CHWS AND OVER 100 CHWS RECEIVE INFORMATION AND FOLLOW UP MATERIALS FROM THE EVENT. OVER 200 CHWS WERE SERVED BY THE CIRCLE IN 2021. RECORDINGS OF PRESENTATIONS ARE POSTED ON THE ALLIANCE WEBSITE SO CHWS WHO COULD NOT ATTEND CAN ACCESS THEM. CHW SUPERVISOR ROUNDTABLE THE CHW SUPERVISOR ROUNDTABLE MEETS FOUR TIMES A YEAR ON ZOOM. THIS IS A PEER LEARNING CIRCLE AND PROBLEM-SOLVING GROUP. AVERAGE ATTENDANCE IS 15 CHW SUPERVISORS FROM ACROSS MINNESOTA AND 200 SUPERVISORS RECEIVE THE INFORMATION AS WELL AS FOLLOW UP MATERIALS. PRESENTATIONS ARE RECORDED AND POSTED ON THE ALLIANCE WEBSITE SO SUPERVISORS WHO COULD NOT ATTEND CAN ACCESS THE INFORMATION. CHW EDUCATION COMMITTEE THIS IS A COMMITTEE OF THE FACULTY FROM THE VARIOUS POST SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS OFFERING THE MINNESOTA CHW CERTIFICATE CURRICULUM. THEY MEET MONTHLY DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR TO REVIEW AND OVERSEE THE STANDARDIZATION OF THE CURRICULUM ACROSS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA. THE COMMIT CONSISTS OF 13 MEMBERS INCLUDING SOME CHWS AND COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES.