HCAN’s mission is to advocate for, educate, and support individuals in our region by utilizing the expertise of certified Community Health Workers (CHWs) to deliver coordinated services and resources.
HCAN certifies CHWs through an Ohio Board of Nursing-approved training program. Certified CHWs work one-on-one with referred program participants to identify and remove barriers to good health outcomes. That includes helping participants to access consistent medical care, including behavioral health and specialty care.
CHWs in the field use an evidence-based system called the Pathways Community HUB Institute(SM) Model (PCHI(SM) Model). This system acts as a framework to help CHWs and program participants work together to clear the obstacles keeping them from achieving good health and wellbeing.
As part of the process, CHWs provide “Educations” on a wide variety of topics that affect health outcomes. Some Educations are directly related to medical conditions, such as diabetes self-management; others focus on life skills, such as household budgeting.
Program participants gain the power to manage their health condition, advocate for themselves in systems of care, and make decisions that best support their well-being.
