CHW Certification
Conditions
Keywords
CHW certification, Undergraduate students, University of Texas at Arlington, Baylor Scott & White, Social Work, Community Health Worker, EMPOWER Training
Brief summary
The investigators propose a multi-step approach to improve access to mental health care. The plan focuses on three goals: increasing diversity in the mental health workforce, bringing more expertise into the community, and strengthening the community's ability to address the factors that impact mental health. To do this, the TEACH study team will work with students from underrepresented groups at a minority-serving institution (MSI). Students will be provided the opportunity to obtain their CHW Certification while receiving course credit for their degree. Students will then be eligible to participate in an internship to utilize their skills. The TEACH study team will help these students with their training, supervision, and ongoing support. These students will then be able to work with their communities to tackle common mental health issues and the social factors that contribute to those problems.
Interventions
OTHERA semester-long course for training of students as CHWs with additional EMPOWER training for delivering a brief trans-diagnostic psychosocial intervention.
Students will participate in a special topics course resulting in a CHW certification with the state of Texas. The course will focus on behavioral activation training. Undergraduate Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students will then be deployed to the Baylor Scott and White Health system as certified CHWs with psychosocial training to provide a sufficient level of care for many, and an entry point to clinical care for those who have needs that are currently unaddressed.
Sponsors
Baylor Research Institute
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Must be enrolled as a UTA undergraduate student with unmet internship hours * Must be aged 18 and over * Must be able to provide informed consent. * Must have successful completion of the UTA CHW/EMPOWER course (Phase 2) and/or State of Texas CHW certification (for non-EMPOWER-trained CHWs) at the start of internship
Exclusion criteria
* Under 18 years * Not enrolled as an undergraduate student at UTA * Unable to provide informed consent * Non-successful completion of EMPOWER course and/or State of Texas CHW certification at the start of internship
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Community Health Worker certification plus EMPOWER | Six months after consent/enrollment | Successful completion of the Special Topics course (to include EMPOWER training) which leads to CHW certification. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Internship completion | Two semesters after the completion of the CHW course | Successful placement and completion of required undergraduate internship with TEACH partner, Baylor Scott and White Health System |
| Behavioral Activation (BA) competencies | Upon completion of the BA training as measured during the internship | Successful demonstration of competencies in BA skills as measured by the World Health Organization EQUIP tool (https://equipcompetency.org/) |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORKatherine Sanchez, PhD, LCSW
The University of Texas at Arlington
Outcome results
None listed