ISU to develop new community healthcare worker training program with federal funding

POCATELLO — Idaho State University will use a $3 million grant to develop a community health worker collaborative program.

ISU is one of 83 recipients of a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the only one in the state of Idaho, according to a news release from the university. In total, HHS will give $225.5 million over the coming years with the intention of funding community health worker training programs across the nation.

Through this new program — the Community Health Worker Training Academy — ISU will provide future community and public healthcare workers with the skill sets necessary to provide effective outreach and assistance.

“Community health programs are vital to the state’s public health outreach and improving the quality of care in many of Idaho’s underserved communities,” Sen. Mike Crapo says in the release.

ISU’s Community Health Worker Training Academy will be a multi-year program sponsoring training and apprenticeships for 400 community health workers throughout the state — joining more than 12,000 in other states.

“Community health workers connect people to care, build trust within communities and facilitate communication between patients and health care providers,” the release says.

These positions serve as a “bridge between traditionally underserved populations” and the health care and information they need, according to Ryan Lindsay and Michael Mikitish — the men tasked with overseeing the new program.

“Community health workers often assist in disease prevention as well as in addressing the following: chronic disease management, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, substance abuse, asthma and navigating our health system when they may have limited resources,” Mikitish said in the release.