News
September 28, 2017SUNY Schenectady County Community College To Host First Community Health Workers Conference in Partnership with Healthy Capital District Initiative (HCDI), Hudson Mohawk Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
On October 2, 2017, SUNY Schenectady County Community College (SUNY SCCC) will host a conference on the topic of Community Health Workers (CHWs) who have become an integral part of today’s healthcare system. Partners include Healthy Capital District Initiative (HCDI) and Hudson Mohawk Area Health Education Center (AHEC) with Alliance for Better Health as the conference sponsor.
The Emerging Healthcare Profession: Spotlight on Community Health Workers Conference will focus on the scope of practice of current CHWs, pathways to success for emerging healthcare professionals and a call to action concentrated on enhancing the relevancy of community health work in New York State. It will offer interactive skills-based learning in a variety of topics through breakout sessions, panel discussions, networking and tabling. Speakers will offer insights on how CHWs have been utilized in a Connecticut hospital, how Massachusetts has developed its own model of integration, career pathways available in the Capital Region, and what it is like to work as a CHW.
The conference will also offer opportunities for employers to learn how to integrate CHWs in the delivery of healthcare under the upcoming value-based payments, and to highlight the needs of the community to be more involved in self-care.
Community Health Workers are a vital link to promoting health and wellness throughout communities and to lowering healthcare costs. They assist though outreach, education, referral and follow-up, case management, advocacy and home-visiting services, basic health education, and support and assistance in navigating the health and social services system.
Dr. Moono, President of SUNY Schenectady County Community College, said, “Focusing on emerging professions is one of the ways we can expand employment opportunities for our students and take care of our communities at the same time.”
Dr. Kevin Jobin-Davis, Executive Director of the Healthy Capital District Initiative, said, “If someone doesn’t know how they will be able to eat this week, or where they will be able to sleep, or how will they be able to travel to a healthcare provider, then how can they possibly follow a physician’s treatment plan? Community Health Workers help patients get critical social supports that must be addressed before it is possible to focus on healing.”
Carol Ann Tiberia, Transformation Director for the Alliance for Better Health, affirmed, “As federal, state and local efforts combine to transform the healthcare delivery system into one that promotes better health over more care, Alliance for Better Health is committed to helping prepare the current and future workforce for changes to their roles. Community Health Workers are essential components of the new model of healthcare and we are proud to support SUNY Schenectady, HCDI and AHEC in this essential endeavor.”
Registration for this all-day conference will begin at 8 a.m., on October 2, in the Carl B. Taylor Auditorium (Begley Building) on the SUNY SCCC campus, 78 Washington Avenue, Schenectady. Tickets ($50) are still available and are only $5 for currently enrolled students at www.ehcp2017.eventbrite.com.
