Vermont Community Health Worker Steering Committee's
April 2022 Newsletter
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IN THIS ISSUE
COVID-19 in VT
VT Spotlight
VT Resources & Trainings
Regional & National Happenings
CHW Job Opportunities
Evidence, Research & Grants
A Moment of Wellness
Resources
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Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (SVTAHEC) awarded grant to build a statewide CHW infrastructure
An excerpt from the SVTAHEC Press Release:
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SVTAHEC has received a $520,000 grant from the Department of Health to advance health equity in Vermont by expanding and sustaining the Community Health Worker profession as integral to the health workforce. The grant was awarded in conjunction with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative to support local efforts to address COVID-19 related health disparities and disparities that persist in lower-income communities and communities of color.
This 18-month grant is the largest ever received by Southern Vermont AHEC, which said the grant funding will provide the opportunity to establish appropriate training and credentialing to create a career pipeline for expanding the CHW workforce into both clinical and community settings. Focusing on communities most disproportionately impacted by adverse health outcomes, the initiative is designed to support and recognize community health workers as uniquely skilled and essential members of the public and community health workforce.
“Investing in a statewide network with strong community partnerships is a key part of strengthening this essential workforce and critical for reducing health disparities and advancing health equity in Vermont,” said Jennifer Woolard, Chronic Disease Program Specialist at the Vermont Department of Health. “We are pleased to work with Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center to support training, building career paths, and strengthening a peer-to-peer network for community health workers.”
“CHWs, as essential workers, will serve as navigators between health, social services, and the community to ensure delivery of services to improve the health and well-being of our most vulnerable populations,” said Jennifer Scott, Southern Vermont AHEC executive director.
Southern Vermont AHEC has brought on Katina Cummings to manage the VT Community Health Worker Workforce Network Project and to lead this initiative across the state. Katina said the program will build upon Vermont’s work to expand and support an essential and credentialed workforce to integrate social care practices into health care delivery from primary prevention to the treatment of chronic illnesses.
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“We know that during the COVID-19 pandemic CHWs were and continue to make invaluable contributions to reducing health disparities among underserved communities. I am thrilled to advance this work with a resolute, experienced, and dynamic team of professionals, including Susan White, our director of Health Careers Preparation & Practitioner Support,” Cummings said.
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Katina, who also sits on the VT CHW Steering Committee, plans for this to be "an inclusive project in which CHWs and stake holders will be involved with decision making. We want CHWs to have a network and a voice.
"This is a nationally recognized workforce that we want to celebrate in Vermont."
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CHW Specialist:
This new position will support the building of the CHW workforce to improve people’s health and provide equitable care across Vermont.
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If you would like more info or to discuss the project in more detail, please reach out to Katina at [email protected] who welcomes your input and feedback. |
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Help EnVision a More Age-Friendly Vermont |
SURVEY PURPOSE:
The Older Vermonters Act of 2020 requires that the State of Vermont create an ‘Action Plan for Aging Well,’ a 10-year blueprint to build an age-friendly state across all sectors.
As part of the effort to gather baseline information about the age-friendly status of Vermont’s communities today to plan for the future, DAIL is working with the Department of Health, AARP, the Community of Vermont Elders, and the Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging, along with our entire Advisory Committee, to conduct an
age-friendly survey called EnVision Vermont.
Target Audience: All Vermonters ages 45 and older
Closing Date: Friday, May 20, 2022
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UMatter Suicide Prevention Awareness Training of Trainers
April 15th, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. &
May 4th, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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Mad Movement Histories Training
April 26th & 28th, 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(Registration for both parts is required.)
When it comes to understanding how we got to where we are and thinking about where we are headed, history is sometimes our best teacher.
Come explore mad* movement histories through themes of resistance to oppression and building alternative supports and through lenses of racial, disability, economic, and gender justice. We will look at and discuss some primary sources, and there will be short assignments in advance of our sessions.
* including ex-patients, psychiatric survivors, psychiatrically labeled/disabled, neuro-divergent, experiencing extreme states, marginalized by sanism, and many more self-described identities.
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2022 Long-Term Care Medicaid Basic Overview
April 28th, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
$70 (This training will not be recorded.)
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- Review of basic financial eligibility
- How to fill out the application
- How to request an extension, etc.
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Hoarding Disorder:
An Overview and Basic Intervention Strategies
1st session: May 9, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
2nd session: May 16, 9:00am -12:00pm
$100 total, Virtual (this training will not be recorded)
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Hosted by the Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging, this six-hour training addresses the reality of Hoarding Disorder, a chronic and at times-debilitating experience for 2-5% of our population. This often-misunderstood condition is treatable with evidence-based techniques, understanding, and a removal of stigma and judgement.
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Structural Competence and Cultural Humility to Address Disparities & Inequities: A Foundational Health Equity Training
VT Program for Quality in Health Care
May 23 or August 22, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
FREE
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Demonstrate increased self-awareness of racial, ethnic and class biases.
- Identify links between racial and health inequities and health disparities.
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Describe how cultural beliefs shape clinical encounters and patients’ health outcomes, etc.
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Healthy Relationships Project Facilitator Training
June 8th & 9th*, 10:00 am -12:00 pm
FREE *attendance of both days is required
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This two day training will equip attendees with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement this school based child sexual abuse prevention curricula. |
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Regional & National CHW Happenings |
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These meetings are for NACHW members* only. Log into your account to register.
*If you are a CHW or an Ally, become a NACHW member as an Individual or as an Organization. |
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This informative and engaging leadership series explores the relationship between organizational culture and the ability of an organization to adapt and respond to external and internal challenges.
The first three sessions of this training are self-paced online video presentations, and the last session is live online.
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April 28th, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.*
FREE
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How can self-awareness help leaders address the trauma and stress in workforce and communities?
* Save the date for Part II: Teams and Cultures on May 3 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm.
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Scholarships are available and will be awarded on a "first come, first served" basis. |
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The Rural Community Health Worker Network is proud to announce the "I am a CHW" campaign and the APHA CHW Section is excited to support this campaign effort!
This campaign educates community members on the vital roles that CHWs play. The campaign also provides a platform for CHWs to share their stories, connect with others, and gain a recognition they deserve.
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Community Health Worker (UVM Extension) - join a statewide Migrant Health Team in southern Vermont (cover Windham, Bennington, Rutland and Southern Windsor Counties with an office location in either Brattleboro or Rutland). Position may be .80 to 1.0 FTE based the final candidate’s experience, skills, and grant project needs.
NEW Community Health Worker, Part Time Faculty (CCV, Community College of Vermont) - this course addresses the core competencies of the CHW, including the CHW role within systems of healthcare and social services...
NEW Community Health Worker Specialist (Southern Vermont AHEC) - support the building of the CHW-orkforce to improve people’s health and provide equitable care across Vermont.
Community Resource Coordinator (Northern Counties Health Care, Hardwick) - assist in the coordination of and navigation of services to patients and their families with medical, dental, social, and mental health needs... This position has a unique "in-house" Wellness Program that the CRC will work closely with the staff to promote and schedule...
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Evidence, Research & Grants |
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NEW Health Equity Capacity
Building Grant
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The Department of Health will award the Health Equity Capacity Building grants—expected to be in amounts of at least $25,000, with an average of $150,000. |
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The Vermont Community Foundation is supporting the program as a facilitator of the application and technical assistance process.
Organizations working with communities and priority populations can apply for grants now. The initial deadline for applications is May 1, 2022, for funds that will be available on June 1, 2022. Additional applications will be accepted on a rolling basis as funding permits. |
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NEW Equitable & Inclusive Communities Grant Program
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... seeking proposals from Vermont villages, towns, and cities that close the opportunity gap by supporting local efforts to foster inclusion and belonging for people of all races and backgrounds.
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We recognize the powerful leadership roles that local governments can play in removing structural barriers and building a more inclusive and diverse state, and want to support communities in fulfilling that potential.
We recognize that Vermont communities are starting in different places in their work on equity, inclusion, and belonging, and that communities will need different things at different times. We welcome communities at all stages of learning. Grants are up to $10,000.
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GRANT Community Heart & Soul: Planning, Technical Assistance & Seed Grant Program. $10,000 Seed Grants to qualifying small cities and towns...
Preventative Medicine: Community Health Workers and Non-Clinical Patient Navigators: A critical COVID-19 pandemic workforce.
Project Muse: A Community Participatory Approach to Identify Common Evaluation Indicators for Community Health Worker Practice.
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How to Handle a Stressful Listening Situation
By Bridget McFarthing via International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA)
We often go from one situation to another without transition. This can leave one fatigued by the end of the day. Many times, we forget to come back to ourselves. We can lose our ground and begin feeling overwhelmed. When we listen to loss or trauma, our brain mirrors the client’s brain; science has proven that the same areas of our own brain become activated. It is critical we come back to ourselves after listening.
When you have just left a stressful listening situation:
- Stop, pause, and connect to your breath. Feel your body.
- Acknowledge that you are transitioning and focus on your in-breath and then your out-breath.
- Notice what you feel and need, reconnecting and grounding back into your body.
- Pause, breathe, and be conscious of leaving this situation.
- Reconnect with yourself before moving on.
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--> Take time to visit these sites and join the listservs that support you and your work.
CDC , CHW Toolkit: online courses, lessons learned, and best practices to help state health departments train and further build capacity for CHWs in their communities. Training and education materials for CHWs to use within their communities., etc.
COVID-19 Digital Classroom: a global initiative to provide high-quality, medically-reviewed, multimedia content and training courses for community-based health workers and local communities globally.
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont: q uality prevention programming; facilitators trained to deliver effective prevention topics for English and Spanish-speaking audiences!
Public Health Institute: improve health, equity and wellness by discovering new research, strengthening key partnerships and programs, and advancing sound public health policies.
2-1-1: VT resource database of programs and services provided by community, social, health, and government organizations.
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Vermont Community Health Workers |
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"Remember, you as readers are the champions." Katina Cummings
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The Vermont Community Health Worker Steering Committee includes partners and community health workers from the Department of Health, Blueprint for Health, OneCare VT, SASH (Support and Services at Home), Northern Counties Health Care, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital,
UVM Extension and Health Network, Community College of Vermont (CCV),
Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and others
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