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A newly funded project co-sponsored by Central Connecticut State University and the YWCA New Britain will ensure more young people have representation in community health policy.
The Community Health Foundation awarded the project a $100,000 grant that will fund the development of a Community Health Worker (CHW) course at Central and subsequent outreach and engagement with policymakers and legislators with support from the Center for Community Engagement and Social Research (CCESR).
“As a public university it is incumbent upon us to leverage our knowledge and resources on behalf of and in partnership with the communities we serve,” says Central President Zulma R. Toro. “This project will deepen our ties within greater New Britain and expand local health services. It also will encourage a new generation of health care professionals and prepare them for the realities and needs of our communities.”
The CHW program at Central will build upon coursework from the YWCA’s Community Health Worker Training Academy, which gives young women from marginalized communities pathways to careers as community health workers and other public health and STEM professions. The course will be open to Central students and qualifying New Britain High School students.
Following its approval as a certified CHW training vendor, Central will offer the CHW course as a six-credit special topics course that will cover the skills and competencies essential for community health workers as defined by the American Public Health Association. If approved, Central would become the first four-year institution to hold CHW training certification.
Plans call for the first class to take place during either the Spring 2025 semester or the Summer 2025 intersession. By Fall 2025, Central faculty will revise the course as needed and offer it again in 2026.
Long term, Central’s new Community Health Education Clinic will provide apprenticeships to students who complete the CHW course to fulfill certification requirements and gain hands-on experience. The clinic opened in October and provides free health care services to members of the university community and residents of Greater New Britain.
“We are very excited to be partnering with the New Britain YWCA on the Community Health Worker grant project,” says Dr. Beth Merenstein, executive director of CCESR. “By certifying Central students as community health workers, accessing dual enrollment for New Britain high school students, and offering it as a certificate for adult learners, Central will be aligning educational programs with in-demand career pathways.”