Health Impact Ohio Community Health Worker Statewide Conference Keynote Address: COVID: Where We've Been, Where We're Going, What We've Learned

Health Impact Ohio is excited to share a recording of our opening plenary from our Community Health Worker Statewide Conference held on September 8th. This video recording includes opening remarks from our President and CEO, Carrie Baker, and welcome remarks from Bobbi Krabill, Deputy Director, Office of Performance and Innovation, Ohio Department of Health. Raeal Moore from Strategic Research Group provided an overview of the Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities grant and evaluation, and Tina Damalas, Manager, Learning & Impact & Bram Wispelwey, Senior Technical Lead, Partners In Health, who were introduced by CHW moderator RiKi Rietschlin, provided our keynote address on “COVID: Where We've Been, Where We're Going, What We've Learned.”

Health Impact Ohio would like to thank all of our presenters who participated in plenaries and breakout sessions throughout the day and give a special thank you to our CHW moderators who introduced speakers throughout the day.

As Health Impact Ohio embarked on our third year of the Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities grant, we were excited to learn that the beginning of our third grant cycle fell during the first National CHW Awareness Week organized by the National Association of Community Health Workers.

Health Impact Ohio supports the mission of National CHW Awareness Week to increase awareness of the Community Health Worker (CHW) profession, CHW’s role, leadership, and impact in their communities, and the promotion of policies that support and align with CHWs work. Through our work with the Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities grant, we aim to provide Community Health Workers with evidence-based knowledge, skills, and tools in a proactive way to address health disparities magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic and to empower Community Health Workers to advance the health of all Ohioans. We are excited to see continued support for CHWs through new and existing events and projects that aim to lift up our CHW workforce through a collaborative, educational, and equitable lens.

Learn more about National CHW Awareness Week, watch the kickoff webinar, and view resources, like the Six Pillars of Community Health Workers, provided by the National Association of Community Health Workers, using the links below.

Community Health Workers (CHWs), supervisors, and public health professionals from every corner of Ohio gathered in Columbus on September 8th, 2023, to celebrate their profession, learn from experts in public health, and take time to network and enjoy time together. Health Impact Ohio (HIO), in partnership with the Ohio Network of Certified Pathways Community HUBs (the Ohio Network of HUBs), hosted 200 CHWs for a full-day conference, and 140 for a pre-conference on September 7th. These events were supported with funding from sponsorship dollars from the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) “Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCR) project, and HIO’s vendor sponsor, CareSource. 

The Center for Public Health Innovation is hosting their 2023 Health Equity through Diversity, Action and Learning Conference on October 13th & 14th. Join experts from across the country and discover what communities, government organizations, universities and corporations can do to reduce health disparities.

Health Impact Ohio’s Chief of Education and Equity, Dr. Tanikka Price, will be presenting on October 13th in a session titled Patients First: Fostering Equity in Patient Interactions and Community Engagement.

2023 Better Health Partnership Learning Collaborative

Better Health Partnership is hosting a Learning Collaborative on October 20th! This year’s event strongly focuses on behavioral health, including keynote speaker, Dr. Benjamin F. Miller, and a reaction panel of experts representing primary care, payers, community, policy, and schools. Up to 5.75 CME credits will be offered.