WED-004 - CHWs Impacting Public Health: Advancing and Building Community Capacity

Brief Abstract Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the crucial role community health workers (CHWs) play in the health and wellbeing of marginalized communities. Organizations throughout San Diego County (SDC) mobilized CHWs, however there was considerable variability in CHW skills and knowledge. To build a stronger workforce, San Diego State University, in partnership with the County of San Diego, facilitated bilingual CHW trainings from late 2022 - October 2024. The goal was to build upon the existing CHW network, educate, train, and support CHWs to foster healthier environments in marginalized communities. A peer-to-peer learning model was used with the flexible hybrid approach, fostering community connections to optimize learning, strengthen networks, and build community trust. We will showcase the positive impact of a peer training program that educated and engaged over 1,000 CHWs through diverse training and educational opportunities, providing mentorship, and supporting growth and development.

Detailed abstract description: The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the crucial role community health workers (CHWs) play in the health and wellbeing of marginalized communities. During the pandemic organizations across the nation, including San Diego County (SDC), mobilized CHWs to conduct contact tracing, provide outreach and education around COVID, and connecting community members to needed resources to address social determinants of health. Each organization had its own unique program that may or may not have included training. This lack of consistent training led to considerable variability in CHW skills and knowledge who were out in the communities.

To build a stronger Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency leveraged a $3M grant from the Centers for Disease Control for building community health worker capacity. San Diego State University, in partnership with the County, implemented and facilitated bilingual CHW training sessions from late 2022 through October 2024. This initiative aimed to strengthen existing CHW networks and establish new ones, equipping CHWs to foster healthier environments in marginalized communities. The program focused on expanding outreach and education, advancing health equity, and addressing health disparities and social determinants of health.

This presentation will detail how implementation and facilitation methods were used to enhance learning, build group cohesion, reinforce networks, and foster trust within the CHW community. Key strategies included: 1) a peer-to-peer learning model, 2) a hybrid, flexible learning approach, and 3) activities that fostered community connections.

Gain insights into how the peer-to-peer learning model fostered trust and authenticity, incorporating peer mentoring to build CHW capacity. A hybrid approach integrated both in-person and virtual sessions, with flexibility embedded into the training to provide a supportive, adaptive, and inclusive learning environment. Facilitators will also discuss the program's commitment to accessibility beyond the classroom, underscoring the role of ongoing mentoring and health education through supplementary seminars and resources.

This session will highlight the positive impact of this peer-led training program, which trained over 145 CHWs, engaged more than 300 continuing education attendees, and reached 1,000 coalition members across 14 continuing education seminars and 23 coalition meetings.

Attendees will leave equipped with practical strategies for recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse health education workforce. This session will empower participants to leverage hybrid training models, strengthen community connections, and advocate for policies that promote health equity and social justice through the CHW model