Free California-Based Introductory Training Series on Community Care Navigation

Interested in becoming a community health worker? Join PHI’s AC Care Alliance (ACCA) for upcoming California-based trainings to grow your network and skills. Trainings are available in four regions of California (Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, Central California). Any CA resident can also attend the virtual trainings. Curriculum will include free training, personal coaching and incentives of up to $2,750.

The sessions incorporate several core areas of the Care Navigator training curriculum and introduce the unique mission and work of ACCA, which provides holistic care navigation to individuals with advanced illness and their caregivers. ACCA focuses on bridging the gap between the health system and African American and Latinx communities, addressing disparities and promoting equity. ACCA is also partnering with PHI’s Cypress Resilience Project to provide valuable mental health workshops, helping those in supportive professions avoid burnout.

Available trainings include:

• What is a Care Navigator and Foundational Skills – 2.5 hours
• Holistic Approach to Care and Advance Care Planning – 2.5 hours
• Mental Health and Avoiding Burnout – 2 hours – Presented by PHI’s Cypress Resilience Project (LA/Central Valley/Santa Clara/San Mateo)
• Mental Health First Aid – 7 hours – Presented by PHI’s Cypress Resilience Project (Bay Area) – space is limited so register early. This training covers how to recognize and respond to a mental health crisis. Participants who complete all training will receive a three-year certification conferred by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

Sign up for region-specific trainings using the links below:

• Bay Area Region: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco Counties: Trainings held March-April 2024; click through for specific dates
• Los Angeles County: Dates TBA
• San Mateo/Santa Clara Counties (including Milpitas Adult School students and affiliates): Trainings offered March-April 2024; click through for specific dates
• Central Valley: San Benito, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin Counties: Dates TBA

About the trainings

There is currently a significant need for more community health workers who can support care to California’s large population of individuals with serious illness, chronic conditions, or disabilities. PHI’s ACCA recognizes this gap and works to train individuals from a variety of different backgrounds to work as Care Navigators with ACCA’s diverse participants.

ACCA Care Navigators are community health workers that provide care navigation support to those with serious illness and chronic conditions as well as their caregivers. Our standard training curriculum includes more than 60 hours of training in foundational CHW relationship building and communication skills, providing holistic person-centered care, accessing and vetting trusted community resources, and training and empowering participants to improve their ability to manage their care and meet their needs.

ACCA is extending our training to those interested in learning CHW skills and the Care Navigation work of ACCA through online and in-person free three-session training series, held in four regions of California. Sessions introduce people to the work and foundational skills of community health workers as well as the importance of holistic care and advance care planning. So far, more than 170 people have attended these virtual and in-person trainings throughout California. Additional sessions are scheduled through the end of May. ACCA hopes to not only provide a useful introduction to skills needed for CHWs, but also showcase resources and programs that employ CHWs in a home-based setting.

More information: Caring4Cal

ACCA is a Caring4Cal Health Workforce Innovation Grant awardee, and this training is being provided as part of the Caring4Cal Program. Free training, personal coaching, and incentives of up to $2,750 are provided by the Caring4Cal Health Workforce Development Grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information – HCAI.

Through Caring4Cal, individuals currently working or interested in a career as a community health worker can access hundreds of hours of free training and coaching to grow their skills and meet partnering organizations who are currently hired or may be hiring in the future, such as AC Care Alliance. For more information on the Caring4Cal program and to register for incentives, visit Caring4Cal.org.

Originally published by AC Care Alliance