News

Agency’s $500K grant will help expand health care equity

By Patrick Mcardle
RUTLAND HERALD
The training and availability of community health workers is expected to expand in the area with the assistance of a half-million dollar grant awarded to the Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center by Vermont Department of Health in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The $520,000 was awarded to help “advance health equity” in recognition of health care related disparities identified by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic among lower income communities, the BIPOC community and rural communities, according to Katina Cummings, who was hired by the Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center, or AHEC, to manage the community health workers project.

Cummings said the position of community health workers has existed for more than 80 years.

“They are front-line, public health, health care workers that serve in both clinical and community settings. They are trusted members of a community. They come from the community in which they serve,” she said.

Community health workers are often part of a specialized population like the LGBTQ community or other non-majority communities, which can provide specific insight into specialized needs or a better understanding of where disparities exist.

According to Cummings, the community health workers can be employed in a clinical setting but can also have a spot in a housing organization where they can help elderly or low-income tenants access health care.

The 18-month grant, which is the largest ever received by AHEC, is expected to help AHEC staff to help establish programs for training, credentials and association.

In a statement, Jennifer Woolard, a chronic disease program specialist at the health department, said the agency was pleased to work with AHEC on the project.

“Investing in a statewide network with strong community partnerships is a key part of strengthening this essential workforce and critical for reducing health disparities and advancing health equity in Vermont,” she said.

Cummings said the health department has been working on a project to expand the role of community health workers for the last few years.

“What has happened, especially (in the time of) COVID, is that strong evidence has been developed to show community health workers … is an integral part of community health and public health. They work side by side with nurses, with doctors, with physical therapists, dietitians and others. They can be an integral part of the health care team. We want to make sure that the workforce is expanded, as well as their training, their networking, their ally organizations that understand the value of community health workers,” she said.

The workforce is versatile and can have a positive affect on the health of a community but can be overlooked and underutilized, Cummings said.

“They are powerful health equity change agents. They literally change people’s lives because as we know, doctors and housing organizations and others, only see the patient and the individual in (the health care provider’s) own clinic, in their own environments. These community health workers see people in their homes. They see them in their communities. They can often detect issues and problems before a doctor or a nurse can,” she said.

Cummings, who was formerly the health workforce program manager for Northern Vermont AHEC, said the grant will help develop an infrastructure of leadership and a network for community health workers. She said that will require a lot of organization and planning.

AHEC will hire someone, probably a community health worker, in both the southern and northern regions to guide the work.

“We are going to be establishing and providing statewide training for community health workers and their employers and potential employers to better understand the unique roles that community health workers play in improving patient care while reducing health care costs,” she said.

Vermont does not yet have a standardized curriculum for community health workers. Cummings said staff at AHEC will be looking at other states in New England and beyond to develop a training program that will teach the workers and help employers learn about the best way to utilize them effectively.

“We also want to work with community health workers around the state to develop their own organization, to have a voice in Vermont, to unify community health workers and allies in an association. I believe we’re the only state in New England that does not have a community health worker association that is led and run by community health workers,” she said.

The grant will also provide an “exploratory opportunity” for AHEC staff to look at where community health workers could be employed to reduce disparities in places like towns with a large homeless population or a rural community without easy access to health care providers, Cummings added.

patrick.mcardle @rutlandherald.com

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