Community health worker training program - needs to be addressed: utilization of peer support specialists, a class of health support worker (HSW), leads to improved public health outcomes at lower…

Community health worker training program - needs to be addressed: utilization of peer support specialists, a class of health support worker (HSW), leads to improved public health outcomes at lower costs. There are significant needs in texas for access to frontline health services in underserved communities. These needs can be addressed by increasing the number of skilled HSW peers and the variety of ways they are utilized in the public health sector. This program aims to: 1) recruit a diverse range of 402 HSW peers throughout the funding period 2) provide an exemplary training that addresses CHW and public health core competencies across three different tiers of continued education including upskilling and registered apprenticeship components 3) ensure experiential learning for at least 303 HSW peer trainees to build an adaptable and skilled workforce of frontline health workers 4) leverage partnerships to improve the utilization of HSW peers in the human services and public health fields. Peer services improves the level of health access in texas as a low-barrier service while also serving as a skilled career path for those living in recovery from mental illness or substance abuse. We will work to meet the needs for diversity in the peer field to address underserved populations. There is a need for increased representation from trainees that are younger than 30, are hispanic, and representatives of other racial minorities, who come from rural areas, and who are bilingual. Proposed services: we will expand our current 7-month cohort-based peer academy program to train an additional 134 HSW peers annually at multiple skill levels. This program blends face-to-face training with mentorship from existing peers and on-the-job experience at field placements and paid jobs. This program is available in a remote-learning setting, and in spanish. Population groups to be served: we will train adult texans living in recovery of mental illness or substance abuse disorder who are unemployed or under employed and demonstrate aptitude for peer services and CHW/public health core competencies. 60% of available positions (81 of 134 annually) are designated for trainees that are under-represented in the peer specialist workforce, including youth, rural individuals, native spanish-speakers, and black or lgbtq+ candidates.