Community health worker (CHW) training for the Community Care HUB kicked off on July 20th and will run through August 31st, 2020. 1889 Foundation has provided funding to hire six CHWs who are employed by local care coordination agencies Beginnings, Inc.; Community Action Partnership; and Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy. Care coordination agency partners play an integral role in the HUB network by not only employing CHWs and their supervisors but also in collaborating with one another to address the needs of those residents of Cambria and Somerset counties at highest risk. These agencies include:

  • Beginnings, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit, exists to enhance the development of children and empower their families, work to enable children to reach their full potential developmentally, and help families grow strong through early intervention and educational opportunities
  • Community Action Partnership, a 501c3 non-profit, provides a wide variety of services including Early Childhood Programs/PA Pre-K counts; WIC related programs including nutrition education and breastfeeding training; drug and alcohol prevention services; medical assistance transportation; utility, fuel and housing assistance services.
  • Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy, a 501c3 non-profit, exists to assist individuals with disabilities in meeting their basic needs, enhancing their quality of life, and promoting their independence, while also allows them to be active participants in the decision-making and direction of their services.

Pathways Community HUB Institute and Care Coordination Systems are the lead facilitators of the CHW training. Topics covered align with the PA Certification Board’s Certified CHW curriculum and include 1) Community Health Concepts 2) Advocacy and Capacity Building 3) Care Coordination, 4)Health Literacy and Education 5) Safety and Self-care 6) Cultural Competency, 7) Communication and Interpersonal skills and 8) Ethical Responsibilities and Professionalism.

A HUB is an organized, outcome-focused, pay-for-performance network of community-based organizations (CBOs) that hire and train community health workers (CHWs) to reach out to those at greatest risk, identify their risk factors and assure that they connect to medical, social, behavioral, and oral health services.  More than 40 communities across the nation have implemented HUB models.

The Community Care HUB will begin taking referrals on September 1.