IPHA is hosting a live, virtual training titled, Applied Trauma Informed Practices for CHWs on March 25 from 8:45 AM - 4:00 PM. This course advances CHWs' capabilities to integrate trauma-informed concepts within their practice. This training is free to those who have completed CHW 101 with IPHA or are in the apprenticeship program with HAP. 

IPHA is hosting a free, virtual training on Wednesday, March 26 from 12:00-1:00 PM titled, Understanding New Medicaid Coverage for Lactation Services in Illinois. Margaret Saltysiak, IBCLC, MPH will present this training. Margaret is a Doctor of Public Health student at Tulane University. She is also a private practice owner, instructor at UC San Diego, and the chair of the North Central Breastfeeding Task Force. This training is ideal for IBCLCs, CLCs, WIC staff, nurses, midwives, doulas, and other maternal-child health professionals who provide breastfeeding support and want to expand access to their services through Medicaid. 

All training can be found on the event calendar on IPHA’s website.

If you have any recommendations, topic ideas, or speakers for our Lunch & Learns, please complete this form and we will try our best to accommodate your recommendations.

IPHA is excited to share stories of CHW education and employment partners across the state. IPHA has offered technical assistance to these organizations and training centers to support the expansion of the CHW workforce.

Southwestern Illinois College and Belleville Township Highschool District #201 CHW Training Partnership

Established in 1946, Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) serves more than 300,000 residents of Community College District 522 through campuses in Belleville, Granite City, and Red Bud plus numerous off-campus sites, including Scott Air Force Base, and the East Saint Louis Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Center. SWIC offers more than 150 affordable degree and certificate program options-including online and accelerated courses for students who want to transfer to a university or prepare to enter the workforce. Articulation agreements with public and private colleges and universities help to ensure the transfer process is seamless for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Southwestern Illinois College will offer a Community Health Worker (CHW) Program beginning Fall 2025. The CHW Program will prepare students with the skills necessary to become a certified CHW. Students will also be prepared to work in a variety of healthcare settings. It is a one semester, 16-credit hour program that includes both classroom education and clinical experience in a healthcare setting. The CHW Program will be offered each Fall and Spring Semester. Upon completion of the CHW curriculum, graduates are awarded a CHW certificate.

The CHW Program is currently offered as a dual-credit program in partnership between Southwestern Illinois College and the Center for Academic and Vocational Excellence (CAVE) in Belleville Township High School District #201. Courses are taught by the staff at the CAVE. The students are in the classroom for a two-hour time block every day through the academic school year. During this time, they complete 19 college credit hours made up of the following course work: Medical Terminology, Nutrition (a Nursing Approach), Introduction to Human Services, Public Health Client Care, Chronic Disease Management, Behavioral and Mental Health, Maternal and Infant Health. Each student also completes 120 clinical job shadowing hours in a wide variety of settings. The program currently has 44 students enrolled all on pace to complete the curriculum and obtain their CHW Certificate backed by SWIC in May of 2025. The high school students receive college credit and a CHW Program certificate. SWIC builds partnerships with local institutions and organizations that will hopefully lead to students gaining employment following the completion of the CHW Program. This partnership is positively impacting CHWs by offering a local program to support the rise and demand of the workforce. With the increase in demand for CHWs, Southwestern Illinois College provides resources and the opportunity to receive a CHW certificate.

The CHW Program at Belleville Township High School District #201 – CAVE in Belleville, Illinois is in need of current CHWs willing to let their students complete job shadowing with them. The school district and SWIC are searching for organizations that have current CHWs employed for students to shadow before the end of this school year. You can view the Clinical Student Agreement to get an idea of what is expected of the Clinical Shadowing Sites. If you or your organization may be able to help, please reach out to Kaitlynn Buettner at kbuettner@bths201.org.

For additional information about the program, you can visit their webpage or contact the Program Coordinator, Shameka Davis at shameka.davis@swic.edu.

The Community Wellness Project

The Community Wellness Project (CWP) is a minority-owned 501c3 not-for-profit health promotion and disease prevention organization with offices in downtown St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. Since its founding in 2003, the agency has consistently provided high-impact culturally responsive HIV prevention programs and strategies to at-risk racial, ethnic, and sexual minority individuals in the bi-state Missouri and Illinois region. CWP services include HIV prevention and capacity building assistance and training for government and non-governmental organizations; HIV testing, counseling, and referrals for individuals and couples; STD/HCV screening; evidence-based prevention interventions; risk reduction education, care case management, violence prevention, gun safety, COVID response, condom distribution, and peer-navigator referrals / linkages to health care and essential support services to persons living with HIV and AIDS. CWP’s mission is to promote community wellness through the provision of high impact evidence-based interventions and public health strategies that employ culturally responsive, trauma-informed service delivery approaches that effectively address racial and ethnic minority health disparities.

CWP utilizes their CHWs to help close the gap between access to health care providers, support with adapting to having health challenges, and provides one-on-one individual support as needed during the transition/adjustment period for their health-related issue. Our CHWs can relate to their clients, through shared background, culture, language, and knowledge of the community and their own experiences. Our CHWs offer encouragement, guidance and emotional support as well, and are utilized throughout our various programs and services as needed or as identified based on the needs of the community members we serve. They provide community outreach, listen to clients’ concerns and shared experiences, offer strategies for incorporating medications into a client’s daily routine, serve as a voice of experience by proactively addressing obstacles to care and adherence, assist with appointment reminders and act as a liaison between clients and their care providers, as well as assist clients by modeling healthy living behaviors. CHWs have an opportunity to see the impact of the work they do with their clients and how that work impacts their own lives. They can reflect on where they were to where they are now and the importance of giving back to their own community. There is a sense of pride and respect that they feel when they are of service and can see change as well as the struggles of the community members they serve.

For further information, you can visit Community Wellness Project’s website or contact Dana P. Williams, Executive Director at (314) 421-9600 or Zorian Price, Director of Prevention Services at the East St. Louis Office at (618) 874-9500.

Take Action Today

Take Action Today (TAT) is a grassroots 501c3 non-profit organization led by people in recovery from substance use and homelessness. Together with their community partners and allies, they seek to create a vibrant recovery community in Southern Illinois by providing peer-based recovery support services to people and communities that may or may not still be using substances or experiencing homelessness. The agency works diligently to advocate for people in recovery and to create training and service opportunities for volunteers and professionals with living expertise.

Recognizing that people who experience chronic homelessness exist at a complex intersection of social determinants of health that may or may not be centered around substance use, TAT seeks to expand its workforce through the incorporation of Community Health Workers. TAT is currently upskilling the bulk of its service and supervisory personnel to leverage public health conversations and resources to create a more robust recovery-oriented system of care. TAT operates multiple low-barrier resource centers in Southern Illinois where people can seek essential support such as showers, laundry, hygiene, and nutrition while accessing recovery support services.

TAT has established itself as a statewide leader in training and developing people in recovery to earn professional certifications as recovery support specialists. By involving CHWs in the same conversation as peer professionals, TAT aims to grow the role as a viable professional pathway for people in recovery to serve their community. TAT is also currently planning a professional development conference for both peer professionals and CHWs to be held in Southern Illinois.

“Poor rural communities have been left to fend for themselves with few resources and fewer workers. Community Health Workers are pivotal in helping our communities recover by restoring health to its most vulnerable members.” – Mike Tyson, Director of Community Development

For further information you can follow TAT on Facebook or check out their website.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. We strive to keep CHWs, their employers, educators, and allies informed and connected. If you would like to contribute information for a future newsletter, please contact Mariah Menietti at mmenietti@ipha.com. We look forward to showcasing ways in which CHWs are making an impact in Illinois.