Advocacy

Community Health Worker Advocacy in Illinois

Training & Certification Initiative

To participate in discussions about training, certification and policy development, please join the Chicago CHW Local Network Training & Certification Committee. For more information about this Committee and its monthly meetings, please contact Laura Bahena at lbahena@healthconnectone.org or by phone at (312) 878-7015.

For a map of where you can park for about 2 hours during meetings, please click here.

Consensus Statement: Following the May 2009 Community Forum, the Chicago CHW Local Network began facilitating a committee of CHWs and stakeholders focused on training issues. They developed a consensus statement on the core training values of Chicago-area CHWs, and then began reviewing training modules in alignment with these values. The Training & Certification Committee continues to meet monthly.

CHW Policy Forum

Thank you to all of the Community Health Workers, Promotores de Salud, employers, health care providers, researchers, advocates, and health policy leaders who participated in the forum on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - to discuss the development of policies which support community health workers in Illinois. This forum was supported by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, and co-sponsored by the Chicago Community Health Workers Local Network, Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, HealthConnect One, Chicago Partnership for Public Health, Department of Preventive Medicine at Rush University Medical Center, CEED @ Chicago, Illinois AHEC Network, and the Illinois Environmental and Occupational Education and Research Center at UIC School of Public Health.

Materials and notes from the March 2011 Forum are available here through Health & Medicine Policy Research Group.

Prior Community Forum: With support from the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation and The Field Foundation of Illinois, HealthConnect One and the Chicago Community Health Workers Local Network hosted a community forum on May 29, 2009, bringing together Community Health Workers (CHWs), Promotores de Salud, employers, health providers, researchers, advocates, funders and public officials to discuss CHW training issues. Please click here to download notes from the May 2009 community forum in English, or in Spanish.

Get Involved

Policy Initiative

For a description of current activities on this initiative and/or to join the Training & Certification Committee, please contact Chicago CHW Local Network Organizers Laura Bahena or Alfredo Lopez, or visit the Network's website - www.chw-promotores.net.

Local Network - Chicago

The Chicago Community Health Workers Local Network is by and for Community Health Workers and Promotores de Salud. It is supported and advised by HealthConnect One, with the intention of becoming its own entity. HealthConnect One has incubated the Network since April 2007, acting as fiscal agent and staff advisor.

Please visit www.chw-promotores.net for more information, or link here to support the Chicago CHW Local Network with a donation.