Grant to UW Creates New Career Track in Community Health

A new program that will train professionals in one of the nation’s fastest-growing health careers will soon be offered by the University of Wyoming, thanks to a $3 million grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. The Wyoming Community Health Worker Training Consortium will establish a formal training and credentialing program for community health workers in Wyoming through UW’s College of Health Sciences.

As nonclinical professionals who live in and represent the communities they serve, community health workers provide patient education, serve as patient advocates and help community members navigate the health care and social services systems to achieve and maintain health. This emerging profession is particularly impactful in rural communities, but many states do not have formal, statewide training and certification programs.

In addition to establishing a formal community health worker training and certification program at UW and creating apprenticeships across the state in collaboration with the state of Wyoming and a broad network of partners, the HRSA grant will provide scholarships and other financial support to Wyoming residents wishing to enter the health care workforce as community health workers. The initiative also will conduct research on the community-level impact that these professionals have on health and wellness outcomes, as well as their economic impact in rural and frontier areas.