Lunch & Learns

Joining a Lunch & Learn is a great way to stay up to date and connected on how Community Health Workers (CHWs) can be empowered to provide care in their communities. Registration is required for all Lunch & Learns. Register for the sessions that you would like to attend using the links below. You will receive the Zoom link upon registration. You can earn a certificate for one hour of attendance by attending a Lunch & Learn and completing the post-Lunch & Learn evaluation.

Other Events and Trainings:

The Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA) and partners are hosting a webinar titled “RSV Isn’t Over Yet: Protecting Older Adults During an Extended Season” on April 2, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CT. Jennifer Seo, MD, JD, with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), will discuss the impact of an extended RSV season and what it means for protecting older adults. Participants will gain an overview of current RSV trends, understand the increased risks faced by adults ages 50 and older, and learn why vaccination remains critical even later in the season.

IPHA is hosting an Advocacy Lunch & Learn series for National Public Health Week. Attend one session or all three to learn government basics, an introduction to advocacy, and how to engage elected officials and decision-makers. Conny Moody, MBA with IPHA, will be presenting on April 6, 8, and 10 from 12:15 – 1:00 PM.

IPHA and Baxter Credit Union (BCU) are collaborating to host a webinar for National Public Health Week on maximizing financial well-being. BCU is a credit union fiercely dedicated to financial well-being. As a full-service financial institution – but nonprofit – they offer all the products and services a bank can; however, BCU leads with member well-being and ensures you have the tools, resources, and knowledge to make informed and meaningful financial decisions. The credit union offers free certified coaching, a content library, live webinars, a podcast, digital money management tools, and so much more. Join us to learn how you can maximize your membership at BCU with no cost to get started. IPHA has partnered with BCU to give IPHA members access to all of the valuable products and services that come with BCU membership. Financial well-being improves both physical and mental health, so we hope you will join us for this important webinar event!

IPHA and the Alzheimer’s Association are hosting two collaborative, discussion-based virtual gatherings designed to elevate the voices and lived experiences of CHWs across rural and urban Illinois. These roundtables center on listening, shared learning, and idea generation to better understand how brain health challenges are showing up in communities and how CHWs believe we can help address them.

Your participation in a roundtable will make you eligible to attend additional trainings on this topic and receive a stipend for attendance at a follow-up in-person convening on brain health to be held during the IPHA 85th Public Health Workforce Conference in September 2026 in Springfield!

Registration is limited to the first twenty registrants per session. Please register for only one session, rural or urban, depending on whether you work in a more rural or urban setting.

Join the IPHA CHW Section for a CHW Impact Series webinar titled "Building Sustainability for CHWs: New Billing Opportunities" on April 14, 2026, 1:00 - 2:00 PM CT. Tracey Smith, DNP, PHCNS-BC, MS, CHW, with IPHA, and Rachael Telleen, with The HAP Foundation, will explore the billing process for services, including a review of Medicare and Medicaid guidelines. The benefits and drawbacks of using a centralized HUB approach to support billing will be discussed, along with approaches to coordinate CHW services in Illinois. Continue reading this Newsletter to learn more about the CHW Section and how you can get involved!

Join IPHA for a webinar in the Maternal Child Health ACEs Series on Tuesday, April 21, 9:00 – 10:00 AM. Meghan Jacobson, MS, CCLS, FT, with Missing Pieces, will be presenting on child death disparities, factors that lead to child death, the impact of loss on families, and strategies to support the maternal and child grief experience.

The Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) and the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA) partnered to develop the Community Health Worker Cancer 101 program. This asynchronous program provides Community Health Workers (CHWs) with education specific to cancer prevention, screening, treatment, survivorship, and resources available. Once a CHW has completed the self-paced virtual learning sessions, they will complete a community outreach project of their choosing. Projects may include setting up a cancer outreach table, updating cancer brochures to assess health literacy, creating a cancer-focused social media campaign, developing a new cancer resource for their organization to use, etc. Pictures or copies of what was created will be submitted to IPHA. Upon review, the CHW will receive a certificate of completion.

This training was supported by grant funding from The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of CHWWorkforce Grant. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. Funding for select sessions was provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Psychosocial Oncology Support for Community Health Workers

Community Health Workers play a vital role in supporting individuals and families navigating cancer, not only medically, but also emotionally, socially, and practically. To strengthen this work across Illinois, Wellness House is proud to offer the Psychosocial Oncology Training for Community Health Workers, a multi-module video training series made possible by the HelpGuideThrive Grant from the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA).

Grounded in more than 30 years of evidence-based survivorship programming, this on-demand curriculum provides practical, research-informed guidance on key topics including psychosocial oncology fundamentals, nutrition and cancer, the role of exercise in cancer care, stress management, social and emotional support, and how cancer impacts the whole family.

Each module is presented by Wellness House experts and includes actionable tools, reflection prompts, and strategies that Community Health Workers can immediately apply in their work to enhance the quality of support they provide to cancer-affected individuals and communities.

This free training is available statewide and can be completed at your own pace.

To get started, scan the QR code on the flyer or visit: https://wellnesshouse.org/psychosocial-oncology-training/

IPHA CHW Section

Have you been wanting to get more involved in public health in Illinois or advancing the Community Health Worker workforce in your community? Becoming a member of IPHA and joining the CHW Section is a great way to do that! The IPHA CHW Section hosts quarterly meetings along with a training series. The Section continues to grow with over 350 members currently. By becoming an IPHA Member, you not only get the benefit of joining the CHW Section, but you also receive all the benefits of IPHA Membership. You can participate in advocacy to help shape IPHA’s advocacy and legislative agenda, develop policy resolutions, and promote public health to state legislators and leaders.  There are networking opportunities to grow your network of public health colleagues and leading professionals across the state. You can also expand your skills with exclusive trainings, workshops, and conferences through professional development opportunities. This includes receiving discounted rates on paid trainings in IPHA Academy, IPHA’s learning management system, the IPHA Annual Conference, and more. To learn more about IPHA Membership benefits, click here. To learn more about the CHW Section, click here.

CHWs receive a discount on annual membership fees. The membership fee for CHWs is only $20 per year. When registering, be sure to select “Community Health Worker” as one of your Sections at the end of the registration form. You can get involved right away by attending the next CHW Section-sponsored training on building sustainability for CHWs. See the link above to register for the training. The next CHW Section meeting is on June 11 at 9:00 AM. After registering for the CHW Section, you will begin receiving regular communications about Section meetings.

National Kidney Month

March is National Kidney Month. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious condition affecting nearly 40 million people. CKD symptoms are often overlooked as they are vague and tend to develop slowly over time. Most people with kidney disease have no symptoms until the very late stages of the disease. CKD is progressive and can put you at risk for serious health complications, including heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. To recognize National Kidney Month, we have highlighted some organizations and CHWs doing great work surrounding kidney health below.

The National Kidney Foundation of Illinois

The National Kidney Foundation of Illinois (NKFI) offers free health screenings for chronic kidney disease and its two biggest precursors: diabetes and high blood pressure. NKFI works with CHWs to help reach populations in need of services and resources.

NKFI currently has three CHWs they partner with: Troya Mosley, Isabel Rodriguez, interns in the Chicagoland area, and Jowanna Whitfield, a contractor in the downstate area. They all attend community events, resource fairs, screenings, consulates, and dialysis centers to share information with the public about prevention and NKFI programs. See a list of highlighted March activities below:

• Hosted two large celebratory events for National Kidney Month that offered free screenings for chronic kidney disease and its two biggest precursors: diabetes and high blood pressure. Participants received a full screening and sat down with a medical professional to go over their results.  The events also offered tons of resources from community partners and sponsors, like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, who brought produce, colorectal cancer screening kits, vaccines, glucometers, blood pressure cuffs, and more. One event was held in Chicago on Monday, March 2 at Venue West, the other was held in North Chicago at the Paris Banquet Hall in partnership with Roberti Community House on World Kidney Day, Thursday, March 12.
• Hosted a total of 8 additional KidneyMobile screenings in the Chicagoland area.
• Tabled at 5 Latin American consulates (Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Peru), taking information about the importance of early detection of CKD.
• Brought information about early detection, screening, and NKFI programs to numerous dialysis centers as well as the Colorectal Cancer and Community Health Event in Shawnee, IL on March 6, UAW Women’s Empowerment Luncheon on March 8, Jesse Brown VA Kidney Health Awareness Day on March 13, NAACP Sneaker Ball in Cairo, IL on March 14, AM Black Family Wellness Expo on March 15, Kidney Awareness Month Education & Jeopardy at the Seniors of South Suburban Senior Housing on March 19, Black Family Wellness Expo, Urban League, and Lucero Colorectal Cancer Awareness Health & Resource Fair on March 21.

“Our CHWs are frequently complimented on their work. We’re often told they’re friendly and knowledgeable.” – Monica Fox, Vice President of Government Relations & External Affairs

The CHWs pictured above are Isabel Rodriguez, Angelique Marseille, Troya Mosley, Gerardo Huerta, and Jowanna Whitfield.

To learn more about the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, you can visit their website at nkfi.org.

Payton Langen, CHW and the Christian County Health Department

The Christian County Health Department (CCHD), located in Taylorville, Illinois, serves around 32,000 residents within Christian County. Payton Langen is the Mental Health Case Manager at CCHD and completed the Community Health Worker 101 training through the Illinois Public Health Association in April 2025. This program provided her with essential skills in outreach, health education, advocacy, care coordination, and cultural competency, allowing her to support Christian County residents.

Payton has been working with DaVita Dialysis patients, focusing on providing care coordination, resource navigation, and patient advocacy for individuals managing chronic kidney disease. She works directly with clients and social workers to identify barriers such as housing instability, lack of transportation, communication needs, social service gaps, insurance needs, and unmet medical equipment needs. By connecting patients to community resources and assisting with referrals and paperwork, Payton has helped stabilize both the health and overall well-being of over 52 clients in the county. CCHD collaborates closely with the National Kidney Foundation and IPHA through monthly Zoom calls, where they discuss client needs, share resources, and coordinate outreach efforts. These meetings bring updated program information and educational materials back to clients, helping to improve care and reduce kidney disease in Christian County.

Community Health Workers are new to Christian County within the last year. CCHD has worked hard to get their name out in the community to promote CHW services by collaborating with organizations like DaVita Dialysis and the National Kidney Foundation. Through these collaborations, they are helping connect community members to health resources and improving access to care.

To learn more about the Christian County Health Department, visit their website at cchdil.org. They’ve recently added some new free services for the community. They were awarded the Chicago Parenting Program Grant, which will allow them to expand their CHW services even more. Through this program, CCHD will provide education, support, and referrals to parents who need assistance with parenting resources, child development, and family support services. They’ve launched a new mental health platform that offers videos, assessments, community resources, and much more. This program helps community members better understand their mental health and connects them with local resources. The Health Department now has a vending machine outside that’s free and available to the public 24/7. It’s stocked with harm reduction items and other public health resources for anyone in the community. CCHD is always expanding services based on the needs of the community!

Have a safe month,

Tracey Smith, Associate Executive Director for Public Health Practice at IPHA, Director of the CHW Capacity Building Center and Claire Hughes, IPHA Program Manager.

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.