Community Health Workers Initiative Department

The Community Health Worker Initiative Department administrates the Community Health Worker Initiative program which brings together a host of partners to provide training, education and career upgrading for community health workers, to improve care in disenfranchised communities and to decrease health disparities in low-income communities.

The Initiative was initially funded in 2007 with a three-year, $1 million grant from The Boston Foundation's SkillWorks, a public/private workforce development partnership. Now entering its 5th year, the Initiative has expanded to include a career-exploration training called Community Health Work New Careers which developed under the 2009 American Response and Recovery Act (ARRA) and now continues with support from ABCD, Inc.

The Community Health Workers' Initiative offers a number of key benefits to community health workers. Specifically:

• Assistance with developing a career plan
• Referrals to additional CHW training programs, including a new CHW
• Certificate Training Program
• Referrals to English classes or GED programs
• Help preparing for and enrolling in college
• Assistance in applying for financial aid
• Help supplementing income with support services, including fuel assistance transportation, child care and more

More Information

Visit the Community Health Worker Initiative website to learn more about the program, its partners, and to access further resources: www.chwinitiative.org

Download the CHWI brochure.

Staff Contact

Kenyia Elisa-McLaren, Director of the Community Health Workers Initiative
kenyia.elisa-mclaren@bostonabcd.org
Phone: 617-348-6591

Location

The Community Health Worker Initiative is located in downtown Boston at 178 Tremont Street, 1st Floor, Boston MA 02111