Addressing Training Gaps: A Competency-Based, Telehealth Training Initiative for Community Health Workers

Authors: Laura Porterfield, Victoria Warren, Vanessa Schick, Shannon Gulliot-Wright, Jeff R. Temple, and Elizabeth M. Vaughan

Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a vital role in connecting communities with health services. Despite their crucial role, there is a lack of structured CHW training. The CHW Core Consensus Project (CCCP) identified three CHW categories with specific competencies. This study focused on Category 1 CHWs, emphasizing community outreach and advocacy. Using telehealth, bilingual training sessions were developed and evaluated among Latino(a) CHWs. High attendance demonstrated the value of telehealth for CHW training, highlighting the potential to bridge gaps in chronic disease education. Further investigations are needed to address additional CHW training needs.