PRESS RELEASE: Health Care Access Now receives $250,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Health
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Health Care Access Now (HCAN) has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Health to fund the recruitment and training of three cohorts of 15-20 Community Health Workers (CHWs) from Latino, Asian, and indigenous populations.
- HCAN trains CHWs to work in the field, providing resources and connections for pregnant individuals, new moms and babies, children, and adult clients with chronic conditions to improve health outcomes. These CHWs will work in Maternal & Child Health Care Coordination, with the goals of reducing preterm births, low infant birth weights, and infant mortality in the Latino, Asian, and indigenous communities.
- Individuals from the vulnerable communities that HCAN serves are especially well-suited to work as CHWs. This grant will be instrumental in helping identify and train individuals who will further HCAN’s mission of achieving health equity and reducing barriers to good health outcomes.
HCAN prepares CHWs to develop one-on-one relationships with clients. It also leads the regional Pathways Community HUB (HUB), which maintains an evidence-based system CHWs use to identify and break down typical barriers to good health outcomes.
Health Care Access Now (HCAN) received a $250,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Health that will be used to recruit and train Community Health Workers (CHWs) from Latino, Asian, and indigenous communities to serve those often-overlooked vulnerable populations.
Latino and indigenous populations experience higher rates of preterm births, low birth weights, and infant mortality compared to white populations, according to Ohio Department of Health data. The CHWs will work in HCAN’s Maternal & Child Health Care Coordination program to reduce these health disparities by providing education and resources to eliminate social and environmental barriers to good health outcomes.
“The people most suited to work as CHWs are those who come from the communities they serve because shared experience and knowledge can help build trust,” says Sarah Mills, CEO, HCAN. “This grant can help us achieve our goal to create strong relationships between client and CHW.”
The CHW Certification Training Program, launched in 2018, has trained 97 CHWs to date and is approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing. CHWs use the Pathways Community HUB model (HUB) in their field work to identify and remove obstacles to quality healthcare. HCAN is the director of the regional HUB.
The grant money will change the lives of thousands of low-income individuals and families by allowing HCAN to recruit and train three cohorts of 15-20 new CHWs from Latino, Asian, and indigenous communities and support them in job placement. Each CHW serves an average of 35 clients during the first year of employment, which increases to an average of 50 clients per year in subsequent years.
“These funds allow us to change people’s lives – not just those who go through the training certification process, but also those they will help over the years,” says Mills.
HCAN is grateful to have received this grant to strengthen health opportunities for vulnerable populations in the greater Cincinnati area.