Manchester offers community health worker course, certification prep
Starting in late January, Manchester University is launching a community health worker course in this growing field. It is open to members of the public and Manchester University students.
The course promotes effective listening skills and competencies to help them become stronger advocates for clients, patients and families, and reduce health care costs, in their current positions or as future community health workers.
The one-semester training will also prepare its students to take the test to become certified as a community health worker, should they so choose, said Dr. Gabriela Morales, director of the program and MU assistant professor of health communication. She is a certified community health worker.
Community health workers are an emerging workforce in health care settings, providing outreach, health education, care coordination and advocacy for underserved patients of all ages. It is a term to describe front-line public health workers who may go by titles such as outreach worker, care guide, community health advisor, peer educator, promotora or community health representative.
Community health workers have a deep understanding of local issues and resources; they often speak their patients’ language and have a deep understanding of their culture. They are increasingly a key component of a patient’s health care team.
Manchester University has been authorized to offer the course by the Indiana Community Health Workers Association as an INCHWA-Approved Training Vendor of Certified Community Health Worker Curriculum.
Morales, who designed, developed and implemented the health communication major and minor at Manchester, worked for months to set up MU’s community health work curriculum and obtain approval from the association to offer the course.
“This is for people who want to work with people,” Morales said, adding that the University will reach out to organizations in northeast Indiana that would benefit from having current employees further their skills and work toward certification.
For more information: CommunityHealthWork@thaorai.com
The course will offer a minimum of 30 seats to the public. Training for the public is $1,500 per person, which includes a $40 membership fee for students who successfully complete the training.
Manchester’s current certification as an approved vendor to teach the course continues until late fall 2021
For the media:
For more information: Gabriela I. Morales, PhD, CCHW
Assistant Professor of Health Communication
GIMorales@thaorai.com
260-982-5069
Related information:
About Manchester
Manchester University, with campuses in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind., offers more than 60 areas of academic study to nearly 1,600 students in undergraduate programs, a Master of Science in Pharmacogenomics, a Master of Athletic Training a four-year professional Doctor of Pharmacy and a four-year dual degree in pharmacy and pharmacogenomics. Learn more about the private, northern Indiana school at k7d.thaorai.com .
January 2019