Community Health Worker Roadmap Summit

This month, CTC-RI helped to support a RIDOH special summit at in Providence to celebrate the progress of the Community Health Worker (CHW) Roadmap project. Since completion of the RI CHW Roadmap planning document in October 2023, RIDOH's implementation teams have been diligently advancing the four key components: CHW Role, Agency, and Leadership; Payment and Sustainability; Person, Place-based Coordination; and Workforce Development for Supervisors and CHWs. At the summit, 78 attendees gathered to hear from the four CHW Roadmap teams, who shared their progress, accomplishments, and challenges. Opened by Jerome Larkin, MD, RIDOH Director of Health, and Deborah Garneau, MA, RIDOH Maternal Child Health Director, both of whom emphasized the work of the implementation teams as well as the vital role of the RI CHW. Sherri Ohly, Envision Co-Director, Development and Administration, Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) Group, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, led a discussion on sustaining CHW’s in times of change followed by a session on civic engagement co-led by Arthur Handy, Representative District 18, State of Rhode Island and FSRI Special Project Manager, and Cristy Romero, CHW, Community Health Worker, FSRI Jenks Park Pediatrics. The day concluded with a world cafe which provided a valuable opportunity for networking and collaboration, allowing CHWs and stakeholders to identify key connection points and strategies to propel the work forward. Closing remarks where provided by Kristine Campagna, Associate Director of Health, RIDOH Division of Community Health and Equity, and James Day, CPS, RIDOH Health Program Administrator. Sign up to join the CHW strategy meetings here and view the full roadmap. This summit was funded by RIDOH.