THE CHW CONNECTION YOUR LINK TO COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS IN THE DFW METROPLEX CHW Developmental Employer Forum 2 HPV Project Update 3 APHA: CHW Sessions 4 Announcements 5 Board Member Contact Info 6 IN THIS ISSUE Quarterly Newsleer DFW-CHW ASSOCIATION December 2017 As we close out 2017, we’d like to thank our members for your connued support— whether aending our quarterly meengs, conducng outreach and educaon at health fairs, or simply spreading the word about other events like the forum or about the organizaon overall by sharing the opportunies and support that we have to offer CHWs, we sincerely thank you for another great year! We’d also like to thank Texas Health Resources for not only becoming an organizaonal sponsor, but also for their generous in-kind contribuon of meeng space for our 2017 quarterly member meengs, the DFW-CHW Community Health Worker Developmental Employer Forum (see page 2 for more details) and now for our 2018 quarterly member meengs* too. *See page 5 for upcoming 2018 meeng dates! Looking for a new job? Check out current CHW job offerings & opportunities here
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THE CHW CONNECTION Y O U R L I N K T O C O M M U N I T Y H E A L T H W O R K E R S I N T H E D F W M E T R O P L E X
CHW Developmental Employer Forum 2
HPV Project Update 3
APHA: CHW Sessions 4
Announcements 5
Board Member Contact Info 6
IN THIS ISSUE
Quarterly Newsletter
DFW-CHW ASSOCIATION December 2017
As we close out 2017, we’d like to thank our members for your continued support—
whether attending our quarterly meetings, conducting outreach and education at
health fairs, or simply spreading the word about other events like the forum or about
the organization overall by sharing the opportunities and support that we have to
offer CHWs, we sincerely thank you for another great year!
We’d also like to thank Texas Health Resources for not only becoming an
organizational sponsor, but also for their generous in-kind contribution of meeting
space for our 2017 quarterly member meetings, the DFW-CHW Community Health
Worker Developmental Employer Forum (see page 2 for more details) and now for our
THE CHW CONNECTION DFW– CHW Association Quarterly Newsletter
DFW-CHW ASSOCIATION December 2017
The DFW-CHW Community Health Worker Developmental Employer Forum was held on December 8th, 2017
at Texas Health Resources Pavilion in Arlington. This forum was a huge success and a great way to end our
2nd successful year as an organization.
The forum included networking activities and a forum with Community Health Workers (CHWs) and
supervisors of CHWs from different settings including: a homeless outreach initiative, a University, and from
an in-patient clinic. The panel answered questions about the benefits to having CHWs on a team, gave an
overview of the day-in-the-life of a CHW, and helped to advocate for the profession by explaining how CHWs
help eliminate stigma, are seen as peers in patient's eyes, the unique position of being adaptable, flexible,
and helping to bridge care within a healthcare team, as well as how CHWs are able to reach & serve patients
"where they are". There were a total of 20 registered participants from 7 different industries.
A special thanks to all of our CHW & CHWI participating panelists: Karla Alvarado, CCHW—CHW Supervisor with BSWH Community Care Navigation Rachel Stovall, CCHW— CHW with JPS Health Network on the Care Connections Outreach team Katy Nimmons, MPH, CCHWI— Director of the Texas A&M National CHW Training Center Maira Loera, MA CCHW — Chronic Disease Educator at BSWH BCC Clinics
Community Health Worker (CHW) Developmental Employer
Forum
FEEDBACK FROM ATTENDEES
“Loved the forum structure, the
group and overall vibe.”
“Very well done and useful.”
THE CHW CONNECTION DFW– CHW Association Quarterly Newsletter
HPV Education Project Update
Trained DFW-CHW Association members have reached
1,220 Families 2,028 Children
The DFW-CHW Association has partnered with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to implement the For Our Children Educational Program to educate families on the importance of the HPV vaccination and provide them with vaccination resources.
CHWs have educated families throughout the DFW metroplex at the following sites/events:
St. James Catholic Church
Otis Brown Elementary School Booster Meetings
TCC Trinity River Campus
Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center
New Light Baptist Church
Buckner House of Hope
Duncanville WIC
Lancaster WIC
HHSC Benefits Office – E. Ledbetter
The Exciting Singing Hills Baptist Church
Duncanville HHSC
Kidd Springs Recreation Center
Dallas Heritage Village
Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church
Sharing Life Community Outreach - Back to School Fair
Community Missionary Baptist Church
DeSoto High School
Ventanilla de Salud
Hispanic Wellness Health Fair
Dallas Police Department UNIDOS event
Girl Scouts – Carrollton
MD Pediatrics – Flower Mound
Methodist Hospital
19th Annual North Texas Wellness Fair
12th Annual Carnaval de Salud Health Fair
If you are interested in being a part of this project please contact
THE CHW CONNECTION DFW– CHW Association Quarterly Newsletter
Board of Directors CHW Conference Participation & Attendance
Top Right: Board of Directors Treasurer, Kay Nimmons
presents “Engaging CHWs in Environmental Approaches to
Obesity Reduction” at APHA 2017 Annual Meeting & Expo
Nov. 4 - Nov. 8 in Atlanta, Georgia.
This presentation described the integration of an
environmental approach to obesity reduction with
community-based nutrition and physical activity classes.
CHWs are spearheading this novel approach to building
capacity within underserved communities to address policy,
systems, and environmental (PSE) determinants of
wellness. Now in its third year, the Working on Wellness
(WOW) project focuses on reducing obesity through
improving access to healthy food retail and opportunities
for physical activity in Hidalgo County, Texas.
CHWs are leading community-based education and
outreach activities, developing curricula, and working with
coalitions to improve individual and system-level
determinants of obesity in communities across the county.
Because residents of this border community are
predominately Hispanic and face challenges related to low
socioeconomic status, poor health outcomes, and limited
access to healthcare and social services, local CHWs are
uniquely positioned to lead culturally-competent, PSE-
focused health promotion efforts. This model integrates
CHW-led health promotion with PSE training, equipping
communities to improve environmental determinants of
wellness.
Katy also attended the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas Conference, held in Austin November 13-14.
She co-presented at an oral session describing best practices in disseminating CHW training and resources for community-based cancer education.
Lessons learned from over six years of CHW engagement for cancer prevention, detection, treatment, survivorship, and navigation in underserved areas of Texas were shared.
Want to share a CHW conference you’ve presented at or participated in? Send it to us at [email protected]
Lower right photo: Katy sitting near a poster presentation
at APHA highlighting a partnership with University of Texas
Rio Grande Valley's School of Medicine and South Texas
College to educate CHWs as part of an interprofessional
approach to oral health promotion. As director of the Texas
A&M National CHW Training Center, Katy coordinated the
adaptation, certification, and delivery of the curriculum used
THE CHW CONNECTION DFW– CHW Association Quarterly Newsletter
Announcements
DFW-CHW ASSOCIATION December 2017
Do you have an upcoming CHW CE activity or other CHW event in 2018?
Want to share it publically?
Send the information complete with date, time, & location details to us at [email protected] and we’ll be glad to disseminate it to our members!
Membership expired?
Visit us at https://dfwchw.org/membership/
And update it today!
We’d hate for you to miss out on Quarterly Meetings , CE, or other opportunities in 2018
2/15/2018
5/17/2018
8/16/2018
11/15/2018
Register For February’s Meeting Here
We’ll continue to meet Quarterly on the 2nd Thursday of the month, from 6:30—8:30 p.m.
at
Texas Health Resources Pavilion @600 E. Lamar, Arlington, TX 76011
Find us on social media!
The Texas Center for Health Disparities at the University of North Texas School of Public Health are currently seeking CHWs to join advisory boards to help advise research studies.
Mission: To unite CHWs and CHW Instructors for professional Development and community outreach. Vision: Our vision is put into action through: Advocacy for the CHW profession which is becoming increasingly important in health care Education opportunities for both CHWs and instructors in various areas of interest Professional development workshops to enhance professionalism in the workplace Community Resources to assist CHWs in their outreach and education efforts Employment Resources for employment opportunities Networking opportunities for CHWs across the DFW Metroplex to connect with each other and
learn from each other’s experiences.
THE CHW CONNECTION DFW– CHW Association Quarterly Newsletter
