Co-designing education with and for community health workers: creating a bridge to care

Abstract

Community Health Workers (CHWs) serve as an essential part of the healthcare system in Canada and around the world. Many CHWs live and work in their communities. Their connection and proximity to their communities affords them with a unique approach to care.  CHWs leverage their in-depth knowledge of their communities to address health and social needs and barriers to care. Therefore, education and training for the CHW workforce offers a unique proposition, which can be used to improve community health outcomes and health equity. However, limited education and training opportunities exist that truly reflect CHWs positionality as healthcare providers. These gaps inspired the [Name of initiative] in 2024 which aimed to address workforce integration gaps experienced by CHWs in [Name of province] to co-design an Advanced Certificate program with and for CHWs in [Name of province] in collaboration with other key stakeholders. This paper outlines how Appreciative Inquiry was used over a span of 6 months culminating in the creation of the [Program name], now offered by the [Name of postsecondary institution] at the [Hospital network].