Community Health Worker Pro

Ways to run 160 hours

• 16 weeks × 10 hrs — the calendar on the previous page (part-time workforce cohort)
• 8 weeks × 20 hrs — two units a week; good for employer-sponsored cohorts
• Two semesters — Foundations (Units 1, 2, 5) in fall, the other 9 units in spring
• Self-paced + weekly lab — learners do Learn It online; you run a 3-hour Live It lab each week

Practicum (CHW Pro + Practicum, 290 hrs)

• 130 supervised hours at a clinic, health plan, health department or community site
• Start after Unit 5 so learners can coordinate care and navigate systems
• Each row of the log is initialed by the site supervisor within one week
• The practicum log can also help learners document work experience (for example, Arizona’s ADHS certification path asks for 480 hours of CHW work experience after a training program; check ADHS for current rules)

Junior CHW guardrails

• No solo home visits or client work; any field time is supervised observation that follows school and site policy
• Practice with made-up cases only
• Teachers follow their school’s mandated reporting policy
• Students can continue to CHW Pro at 18

Proven capstone

My Healthy IDEAS has been used as the capstone in a certified Junior CHW course approved by the State of Ohio. Check your state’s CTE program rules for how Junior CHW fits your course codes.

Room & tech setup checklist

Ticks are saved on this device.

Group norms (agree in week 1)

• What is shared in the room stays in the room
• No real client names or details — ever
• Speak from your own experience
• Step up, step back: make room for every voice
• Celebrate every badge out loud

Scope, said the same way every time

• CHWs educate, connect, coach and advocate
• CHWs do not diagnose, prescribe, give medical advice or provide therapy
• In Arizona, certified CHWs do not provide physical or behavioral health services
• Clinical questions go to the care team

When topics get heavy

• Units 10 and 12 cover crisis, abuse and self-care. Warn learners ahead of time
• Give a way to step out and a person to talk to
• Crisis: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text) · Emergency: 911
• End heavy sessions with a self-care check

Leader opener

Ask: "Who was the person your family went to for advice growing up? What made you trust them?" List the traits on the board.

Live It activity

Boundary line-up: read 12 situation cards (gift, friend request, ride home, loan). Learners stand at "OK", "Ask my supervisor" or "Not OK" and explain why.

Discussion questions

1. Where is the line between friendly and friend?
2. Why does scope of practice protect the client as well as the CHW?
3. Which boundary will be hardest for you to keep, and what will help?

Handout: Boundary pocket card. Three columns — OK · Ask my supervisor · Not OK — with gifts, rides, money, social media and personal phone on the back.

Scenario debrief: Ms. Lopez's thank-you gift

Ms. Lopez is grateful you helped her get her son's asthma medicine covered. She hands you a $50 gift card and asks for your personal cell number so she can text you at night.

Model steps:

1. Thank her warmly for the kind thought
2. Explain your organization's gift policy in plain words
3. Give her the work phone number and your office hours
4. Tell your supervisor and note the offer in your record
5. At the next visit, check on her son's medicine and her next goal

Leader opener

Pairs: one talks for two minutes about a hobby while the other looks at a phone. Switch and really listen. Debrief how each felt.

Live It activity

OARS triads: speaker, CHW and observer rotate through three role-play cards. The observer tallies open questions and reflections on a checklist.

Discussion questions

1. What does it feel like when someone lectures you about your health?
2. Why do reflections work better than advice?
3. How can a note be honest without being judgmental?

Handout: OARS observer checklist. Tally boxes for open questions, affirmations, reflections and summaries, plus a line for “one thing the CHW did well.”

Scenario debrief: Mr. Jackson stopped coming

Mr. Jackson, 58, has missed three diabetes appointments. When you call, he says, "Doctors don't listen to me anyway."

Model steps:

1. Ask if it is OK to talk about the appointments
2. Ask an open question about what makes visits hard
3. Reflect what you hear without arguing
4. Ask what he would like to do next
5. Summarize and agree on one small step

Leader opener

Culture circle: each learner writes three cultures they belong to (for example, "grandmother, rancher, Catholic") and shares one.

Live It activity

Interpreter role-play: trios practice a visit with a qualified interpreter, then the same visit with a child interpreting. Compare what was lost.

Discussion questions

1. When have you felt misunderstood by a system?
2. How do you check your own assumptions in the moment?
3. What would a bridge look like at your local clinic?

Handout: Interpreter request script. How to ask a clinic for a qualified interpreter, in English and the top local languages, with “never use children” on the front.

Scenario debrief: Mrs. Tran's follow-up visit

Mrs. Tran had a baby two weeks ago. She speaks Vietnamese and missed her follow-up visit. Clinic staff say she "doesn't care." Her family is following traditional practices for new mothers at home.

Model steps:

1. Ask Mrs. Tran what matters to her and her family right now
2. Learn which family practices are important to her
3. With her permission, share what you learned with the care team
4. Arrange a Vietnamese interpreter for the visit
5. Help schedule a visit time and place that works for the family

Leader opener

Jargon swap: show 10 medical words; teams race to write plain-language versions.

Live It activity

Teach-it-forward: each learner plans and delivers a 7-minute mini-lesson with one hands-on piece and teach-back. Peers score with a simple rubric.

Discussion questions

1. What makes a health handout easy or hard to use?
2. How do you adapt a message without changing the facts?
3. How do you keep one loud voice from taking over a group?

Handout: Jargon swap list + teach-back prompts. 25 medical words with plain-language swaps, and five “show me” questions.

Scenario debrief: Prediabetes night at the church hall

The pastor asks you to lead a one-hour session on prediabetes for 15 adults. Some speak Spanish, and several say they "hate lectures."

Model steps:

1. Ask the group what they already know and want to learn
2. Share three key messages in plain words, in English and Spanish
3. Lead a hands-on activity such as reading a food label together
4. Use teach-back to check the key messages
5. Share where to find a local diabetes prevention program

Leader opener

Draw the system: teams draw every place a person might go for help in your county, then connect them with arrows.

Live It activity

Referral relay: teams move a case card through intake, referral, warm handoff and follow-up stations. The team closes the loop when the "agency" table confirms service.

Discussion questions

1. Where do referrals in your community usually get lost?
2. What makes a handoff warm?
3. How will digital skills change the way you coordinate care?

Handout: Who-to-call map + closed-loop referral form. Local services by need, plus a referral form with a “loop closed on ____ by ____” line.

Scenario debrief: Ms. Begay's heart referral

Ms. Begay, 62, got a referral to a heart specialist three weeks ago. She has no appointment yet, no car and a prepaid phone that often runs out of minutes.

Model steps:

1. Ask what she knows about the referral and what got in the way
2. Call the specialist's office together to check the referral and book a visit
3. Set up a ride through her Medicaid transportation benefit
4. Help her turn on appointment reminders she can get on her phone
5. Follow up after the visit to close the loop

Leader opener

Ask learners to name one habit they changed and one they tried to change. What made the difference?

Live It activity

Action plan clinic: pairs coach each other to a specific plan with a confidence check, then report back at the next session.

Discussion questions

1. Why do people slip, and how should a coach respond?
2. How do you help without becoming the only support?
3. Where is the line between supporting a care plan and changing it?

Handout: Action plan card. What · how much · when · how often · confidence 0–10 · who will support me.

Scenario debrief: Mr. Silva wants to walk more

Mr. Silva, 66, has high blood pressure. His doctor suggested more activity. He says he used to love walking but "never finds the time."

Model steps:

1. Ask what he would like to change and why it matters to him
2. Help him make one small, specific action plan
3. Ask how confident he is from 0 to 10, and adjust the plan
4. Help him find a walking buddy or a group
5. Check in next week and adjust the plan together

Leader opener

Ask: "What is one thing on your street you wish someone would fix?" Group the answers into themes.

Live It activity

Two-minute testimony: teams pick one issue, gather facts and a story, and practice a two-minute statement for a mock city council.

Discussion questions

1. When is it right to speak for a client, and when should you coach them to speak?
2. What community strengths do we overlook?
3. How do you step back so others can lead?

Handout: Two-minute testimony planner. The problem in one sentence, one fact, one story, one ask — and a box for your employer's rules on political activity.

Scenario debrief: No shade at the bus stop

Patients who take the bus to the clinic wait in summer heat with no shade or bench. Two older patients have nearly fainted this month.

Model steps:

1. Listen to riders and gather their stories
2. Collect simple facts: how many riders, what times, how hot
3. Bring residents together to agree on one goal
4. Help residents prepare to speak at a public meeting
5. Follow up with the decision makers and report back to residents

Leader opener

Show two ways to ask the same screening question (blunt vs. respectful). Ask learners how each would feel.

Live It activity

Community walk and asset map: teams walk or virtually tour a neighborhood, mark assets and needs, then compare with county data.

Discussion questions

1. How do you ask hard questions without shaming people?
2. What can data miss that residents know?
3. How should results be shared back with the community?

Handout: Screening script + asset map template. A plain-language script for your program's screening tool and a blank neighborhood grid for assets.

Scenario debrief: First visit with the Martinez family

The clinic asks you to visit the Martinez family. Mr. Martinez lost hours at work, and the kids' school says they seem hungry on Mondays.

Model steps:

1. Explain the screening, why you ask it and that they can skip any question
2. Ask the screening questions in plain words
3. Ask about the family's strengths and who supports them
4. Agree together on the top priority
5. Make a plan with next steps and dates, and document it

Leader opener

Ask: "Where do people in this community spend a Saturday morning?" Build a list of outreach spots.

Live It activity

Outreach fair: half the class staffs tables with talking points; the other half play community members with different reactions. Switch.

Discussion questions

1. What makes someone stop at a table?
2. How do you handle a "no" without pressure?
3. What safety rules would you add for your area?

Handout: 30-second talking points + contact log. Who I am · why I'm here · what I offer · how to reach me, with a log that counts contacts and follow-ups.

Scenario debrief: Back-to-school health day

Your clinic is joining a back-to-school event at an elementary school. The goals: help families with health coverage and school-required vaccines.

Model steps:

1. Plan with school and community partners where and when to set up
2. Prepare a short message and materials in the community's languages
3. Greet families and ask permission before sharing information
4. With consent, sign up families who want follow-up
5. Log contacts and follow up within a week

Leader opener

Myth or fact: 8 statements about mental health. Learners vote, then discuss the facts.

Live It activity

Crisis protocol walk-through: in pairs, practice a check-in call using the organization's protocol card, ending with a warm handoff to 988. Debrief and do a self-care check.

Discussion questions

1. Where is the line between support and treatment?
2. What stops people from asking for mental health help in our community?
3. How will you take care of yourself after a hard call?

Handout: Crisis protocol card. Your organization's steps, 988 (call or text), 911 for immediate danger, the supervisor's number and a self-care check.

Scenario debrief: A hard moment on a check-in call

On a routine call, Mr. Lee, 45, says he lost his job and adds, "Some days I don't see the point anymore."

Model steps:

1. Stay calm, listen and stay on the line with him
2. Ask directly about thoughts of suicide, as your crisis protocol directs
3. If he is in immediate danger call 911; otherwise connect him with 988 together
4. Tell your supervisor right away and follow your crisis protocol
5. Document the facts, follow up, and get support for yourself

Leader opener

Show two charts of the same program, one counting visits and one showing change. Ask which a funder cares about more, and why.

Live It activity

Mini-evaluation: teams pick a program, choose one process and one outcome measure, design a one-page data sheet and present it.

Discussion questions

1. What story does a number leave out?
2. How do you protect privacy when sharing results?
3. How can community members lead the evaluation?

Handout: One-page data sheet. Two process measures, one outcome measure, consent line and the date-same-day rule.

Scenario debrief: Did the walking group work?

Your walking group has met for three months. The funder asks, "Did it make a difference?"

Model steps:

1. Agree with the group on what you want to know
2. Pick two or three simple measures
3. Collect data the same way each time, with consent
4. Look at the results with the group
5. Share what you learned and what will change

Leader opener

Privacy spot-the-mistake: show a photo of a messy desk and a busy waiting room. Teams find every privacy risk.

Live It activity

Know your rules: learners fill in a one-page card with your state's reporting agencies, your organization's policy and the supervisor contact. Then role-play the Ms. Green scenario.

Discussion questions

1. What should a client hear about confidentiality on day one?
2. What would you do if your supervisor could not be reached?
3. What signs of burnout should your peers watch for in you?

Handout: Know-your-rules card. Your state's child and adult protective reporting lines, your organization's policy, your supervisor and your own self-care plan.

Scenario debrief: What Ms. Green told you

On a home visit, Ms. Green, 79, has bruises on her arms. She seems nervous when her adult son walks by, and whispers, "Please don't tell anyone."

Model steps:

1. Stay calm, listen and thank her for telling you
2. Be honest that you cannot keep safety concerns secret
3. If she is in immediate danger, call 911
4. Tell your supervisor and follow your state's reporting law and your organization's policy
5. Write down only the facts you saw and heard, and follow up

Rules for every entry

• No client names, birth dates or ID numbers
• Write the goal in the client’s words
• Record the C3 role used and minutes, not rounded hours
• Site supervisor initials each row within one week
• Stay within scope and the site’s policies at all times

Site supervisor agreement

• Names a supervisor reachable during every shift
• Shares the site’s privacy, safety and crisis policies on day one
• Signs the sign-off sheet monthly and at the end
• Rates the learner on the C3 checklist

Milestones

• CHW Pro: weeks 4 · 8 · 12 · 15 · 16 on the 160-hour calendar
• Junior CHW: sessions 6 · 12 · 16 · 20 · 26
• Each milestone: a one-page check-in reviewed by the leader

Rules

• Small and doable in the time you have
• Built with community members, not just for them
• Consent for any data; no names in the presentation
• Stay within CHW scope; no clinical services