The purpose of this group is to establish and support Community Health Workers as professionals who are an integral part of the health and human services system.

OCHWA incorporated this model that empowers communities to eliminate disparities by employing professional Community Health Workers to provide a comprehensive link to community resources through family-based services focusing on success in health, education and self-sufficiency.

Date: TBA

For more information, contact Region II co-chairs
Lena Grafton - lena.grafton@csauh.com or 216-363-3310
Peter Whitt – p.whitt@csuohio.edu or 216-687-5233

Community Health Worker National Workforce Study
http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/chw
This report describes a comprehensive national study of the community health worker (CHW) workforce. The 27-month research project utilized a survey of verified CHW employers in all 50 States, more in-depth interviews of employers and CHWs in 4 States, conducted a comprehensive review of the literature, and made national and State workforce estimates using databases from the Census and the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Unity Conference
http://www.usm.edu/csho/unity.html
A national conference for Community Health Workers, agency representative’s that employ Community Health Workers, or individuals with an interest in this type of community-based work. All the sessions include increasing core competencies for community health workers through in-depth skill-building workshops.

Ohio Community Health Worker Association
http://www.med.wright.edu/CHC/programs/ochwa.html
To establish and support Community Health Workers as professionals who are an integral part of the health and human services system.

The National Association of Community Health Representatives
http://www.nachr.net/aboutus.html
NACHR is an association representing 264 Community Health Representative (CHR) Programs with over 1,700 CHRs from all over the United States. It was founded on the concept that Tribal health workers are especially well adapted to serve the Tribal community, as they are familiar with Native languages, customs and traditions.

The Lay Health Workers/Promotores National Network
chwnetwork@WAHEC.com
The Network has six regional offices in different states in the country. In every regional office, there is a Lay Health Worker willing to assist Lay Health Worker projects in their region by promoting communication and organizing local and state-wide networks to come together and learn from one another.

American Association of Community Health Workers
Co-Chairs Durrell Fox and Pam Chapman (Durrell.Fox@umassmed.edu or pam.chapman@spectrumhealth.org).
A national association that serve as a governing body that promotes issues, supports leadership and professional development, and develop coordinated health and social policies that promote equal access to health and social services.