Welcome to the Healthy Start Community Health Worker (CHW) Course Companion Guide for Supervisors!

Guide Information

Image of two women giving a high fiveSupervisors play a critical role in the success of the Healthy Start program. This guide is designed to be a companion to the online Healthy Start CHW Course. It provides an overview of the course goals and content and gives suggestions for ways to integrate the full course or elements of the course into your new staff orientation and existing CHW training efforts.

Background information on the development of the Healthy Start CHW definition, roles, and competencies is available on the CHW roles and competencies page. Information on CHW Course registration and answers to frequently asked questions are available on the CHW Course overview page.

Here are some suggestions for using the course modules and materials to supplement and support your ongoing CHW training efforts:

  • Use the first five modules of the course as orientation training for new staff on your Healthy Start team. These modules cover “Healthy Start 101”, and the four perinatal phases: Preconception/Interconception Health, Prenatal Health, Postpartum Health, and Parenting & Child Development.
  • Encourage all CHWs on your staff to take the entire course as basic training toward the achievement of core competencies needed to fulfill the roles and responsibilities of a CHW in the Healthy Start program.
  • Suggest particular modules to staff members who are taking on new roles or who may need to refresh or strengthen their knowledge and skills in a particular area.
  • Share access to the course with your community partners and/or CAN members to give them a more comprehensive picture of what Healthy Start does.The Healthy Start 101 module may be especially useful to outside partners.
  • Use the short videos included throughout the course to support your existing training efforts–these videos highlight Healthy Start CHWs talking about what they do on the job.
  • Use the offline activities, especially the Healthy Start team discussions included in each module, during new staff orientations, staff meetings or “lunch and learn” sessions.

This toolkit aligns with the 11 modules in the CHW Course. Review each module below to learn about the module learning objectives, videos, and offline (“real world practice”) activities.

 

Healthy Start 101

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Describe the core services, philosophy, and goals of Healthy Start, as well as the populations the program serves.
  • Describe the 5 Healthy Start approaches and corresponding benchmarks.
  • Describe the roles each team member plays in achieving Healthy Start program goals.
  • Describe the unique structure of the local Healthy Start program and how the CHW role fits in with the local Healthy Start team.

Preconception & Interconception Health

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Explain what preconception/interconception care is, why it is important, and discuss its basic components.
  • Assist participants in developing and carrying out a Reproductive Life Plan.
  • Educate about pre-pregnancy behaviors that can help achieve a healthy pregnancy and birth outcome.
  • Identify medical and social risk factors that might put a future pregnancy at risk.

Prenatal Health

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Explain what prenatal care is, why it is important, and discuss its basic components.
  • Educate about healthy behaviors in pregnancy.
  • Identify warning signs and symptoms that mother and/or baby may be at risk and take action if necessary to connect participants to appropriate services.
  • Help mother (and father/partner) prepare for labor and delivery, breastfeeding, care of the newborn baby, and family planning after delivery.

Postpartum Health

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Explain what postpartum care is, why it is important, and discuss its basic components.
  • Identify warning signs and symptoms that mother and/or baby may be having a serious medical problem and take action if necessary to connect participants to appropriate services.
  • Recognize signs of postpartum depression and assist women in obtaining care.
  • Educate about the importance of breastfeeding, answer questions about breastfeeding, and encourage continuing breastfeeding for at least 6 months, and navigate referrals as appropriate.
  • Discuss reproductive life planning, the importance of spacing pregnancies, and contraceptive methods and how to obtain them.

Parenting & Child Development

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Explain the importance of well child visits including immunizations, and assist participants in finding a medical home for their infant/child and keeping recommended appointments.
  • Educate about infant safety, including safe sleep practices for baby.
  • Discuss the importance of and promote father/partner engagement with the infant/child.
  • Identify and recognize milestones in child development and take action if necessary to connect participants to appropriate services.
  • Discuss the importance of ongoing parent-child interactions, including reading to infants/children every day.

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Scope of Practice & Core Values

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Describe the scope of practice for Healthy Start CHWs.
  • Understand core values of Healthy Start CHWs.
  • Define confidentiality and its limits.
  • Understand how to handle challenging situations with participants.
  • Promote self-care and personal safety.

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Outreach

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Establish and maintain cooperative, trusting relationships with individuals, families, and clinical/community-based organizations.
  • Identify and share appropriate Healthy Start information and encourage and/or navigate referrals from clinics, community-based organizations, community members, and current participants.
  • Use a range of outreach methods to engage individuals and groups in diverse settings.
  • Remain aware of possible safety risks for self, participants, and team members when conducting outreach.
  • Understand organizational policies and procedures and ensure outreach is conducted consistent with these policies and procedures.

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Participant Screening & Community Assessment

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Gather information from different sources, including Healthy Start participant screening and community assessment tools, to better understand participants, their families and their communities.
  • Assess barriers to accessing health care and other services.
  • Help participants to identify their goals, barriers to change, and supports for change, including personal strengths and problem-solving abilities.
  • Use Healthy Start forms and/or data collection tools as required.
  • Understand organizational policies and procedures and ensure screening and assessment is conducted consistent with these policies and procedures.

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Health Education

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Understand fundamentals of behavior change.
  • Support healthy behaviors by recognizing and building upon participant needs, goals, strengths, and current abilities to work on achieving their goals.
  • Apply person-centered approaches for helping people understand and feel empowered to address health risks for themselves, their family members, or their communities.
  • Facilitate constructive discussion in informal and group settings with participants and their families.
  • Provide ongoing support and follow-up as necessary to support healthy behavior change.
  • Understand organizational policies and procedures and ensure health education is conducted consistent with these policies and procedures.

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Care Coordination

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Obtain and share up-to-date eligibility requirements and other information about health insurance, public health programs, social services, and additional community resources to protect and promote maternal, child, and family health.
  • Navigate referrals/connections to Healthy Start programming, clinical care, and community resources to help participants and their families meet medical and basic social needs.
  • Assist participants in decision making about their health and health care.
  • Understand the roles each team member plays in care coordination.
  • Understand organizational policies and procedures and ensure care coordination is conducted consistent with these policies and procedures.

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Participant Empowerment & Community Engagement

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Encourage participants to identify and prioritize their personal and family needs and use available resources to meet their needs and goals.
  • Provide information and support for participants to advocate for themselves over time and to participate in the provision of improved services.
  • Apply principles and skills needed for identifying and developing community leadership and encouraging participant involvement with the community action network (CAN).
  • Understand organizational policies and procedures and ensure advocacy is conducted consistent with these policies and procedures.