Free Community Health Worker Classes
Interested in helping others, giving back to your community, and building your professional skills? HCC is offering three free classes in community health worker (CHW) training! These are funded through a federal grant by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). The goal of these courses is to train paraprofessionals as community health workers with a focus on integrating behavioral health and addiction/substance use into health and human service settings.
There are two pathways for free CHW training:
- Focus on Behavioral Health: Starts Fall 2019 & Fall 2020
- Focus on Addiction: Starts Spring 2020
Both pathways include three classes and a practicum across three consecutive semesters. See more information about each pathway in the Timeline & Courses section below.
why free chw training?
- 64 hours in core competency training aligned with state certification for CHWs through the MA Department of Public Health (DPH)
- 16 hours in health topics training aligned with State Certification for CHWs through DPH
- 125 hours of field experience towards the 2000 hours required for state certification for CHWS through DPH, with documented supervision in core competencies
- Dedicated tutoring while enrolled in program
- Dedicated advising and educational options for degree advancement
- Assistance with job placement during program and post-completion, as needed
- A professional network of peers and instructors
- Training and skills sought by many employers
eligibility requirements
- High school diploma or GED/HiSET
- Application and acceptance into HCC
- Eligibility for college English (completion of placement test or copy of transcripts of college-level English coursework)
- Successfully clear HCC's CORI/SORI process prior to class registration
- Commitment to completing all three classes over a 12-month period
- Passion for CHW role in health and human services
interested?
Complete this Google Form to get on admissions' radar for this program!
timeline & courses
These three courses were designed to meet the criteria for state certification via pending regulations through the MA Department of Public Health.
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Fall 2019 Start Behavioral Health Focus |
Spring 2020 Start Addiction Focus |
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Fall 2019 HTH 104: Core Competencies for CHWs
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Spring 2020 HTH 104: Core Competencies for CHWs
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Spring 2020 HTH 201: Essential Health Topics (behavioral health is integrated into this class)
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Summer 2020 HSV 120: Introduction to Addiction Studies
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Summer 2020 HTH 209: Practicum class for CHW
125-hour practicum placement at a local service provider (approx. 10 hours/week) |
Fall 2020 HTH 209: Practicum class for CHW
125-hour practicum placement at a federally qualified health center in Franklin or Hampden counties (approx. 10 hours/week) |
| Fall 2020 will be the final cohort | Spring 2020 will be the final cohort |
Drug testing, CORI/SORI, and immunizations are required for all practicums.
Contact
Shannon Sarkisian
Admissions Counselor
ssarkisian@hcc.edu
413.552.2012
Liv Anna Homstead
Special Project Coordinator
lhomstead@hcc.edu
413.552.2865
links
| Department Chair/HRSA Project Director | Rebecca Lewis | rlewis@hcc.edu | 413.552.2426 |
| Academic Certificate Coordinator | Janet Grant | jgrant@hcc.edu | 413.552.2445 |
| CHW Advisor | Liv Anna Homstead | lhomstead@hcc.edu | 413.552.2865 |
| Class Instructor (Saturday) | Kelly Lamas | klamas@hcc.edu | |
| Class Instructor (Saturday) | Aumani Harris | aharris@hcc.edu | |
| Class Instructor (M/W evening) | Angela Nunez-Vazquez | anunezvazquez@hcc.edu | |
| Class Instructor (M/W evening) | Stevaughn Smith | ssmith@hcc.edu | |
| CHW Tutor | Chrismery Gonzalez | cgonzalez@hcc.edu |
This project was supported by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) under M01HP31268 Behavioral Health Workforce Education & Training (BHWET) Program. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the US Government.
