A new program has launched to help seniors reenter the workforce by training them as community health workers who can effectively share their own experiences with others. The HAP Foundation has partnered with AmeriCorps to bring the AmeriCorps Seniors Workforce Development Program to Sangamon County.
The HAP Foundation, headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, specializes in hospice and palliative care as well as education and research in that area. The foundation received a federal grant from AmeriCorps Seniors to develop and deliver the AmeriCorps Seniors Workforce Program in Sangamon, Knox, Macon and Rock Island counties over the next two years. Training is now underway in Sangamon County after a successful launch of the pilot program in Peoria County in January.
AmeriCorps is a decades old federal agency dedicated to national service and volunteerism. It provides opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds to serve their country in ways that address the most pressing challenges while improving the lives of individuals and communities.
The goal of the AmeriCorps Seniors Workforce Program is to train people ages 55 and older on the skills needed to reenter the local workforce as community health workers. Community health workers have been around since the 1960s, and serve as a trusted link among community members, health services and social-service organizations in order to provide greater access to those services and ultimately improve health outcomes in Sangamon County.
Dr. Tracey Smith, director of community health at the Illinois Public Health Association, 500 W. Monroe St., is conducting the training. Thirteen qualified individuals are currently participating in weekly training to provide them with core competencies, covering everything from the basics of health insurance and public health knowledge to teaching them skills in advocacy, community outreach, service coordination and how to promote healthy lifestyles.
In exchange for their time, volunteers will receive a monthly stipend of $200, and upon completion of the program each will receive $1,000 from a grant through the Illinois Public Health Association and support in finding employment. Some participants may choose to seek volunteer opportunities with their newly acquired CHW skills.
Smith explains that this program focuses on training seniors to be CHWs because of their rich, lived experiences which provide them unique perspectives on life and health that will be valuable when working with other seniors. They represent the communities they live in and are more likely to be trusted by others in those communities. They appreciate the value of connection, and the people they serve may likely have a great need for connection. It's often seniors who have experience with serious illness, and having a CHW who is a senior lends credibility when providing assistance with navigating complex health needs. This opportunity from AmeriCorps gives seniors the opportunity to strengthen the health care workforce in their local communities.
Those with complex health needs may also face barriers to accessing the care they need. Smith, along with Noelle Moore, vice president of strategy and implementation for The HAP Foundation, offered examples of such barriers during a recent training session. English may not be the client's first language, and those who are unhoused do not have their basic needs met in addition to unmet health needs and possibly mental health issues as well. A barrier might also be feeling the need to have permission to reach out and ask for help or not wanting to sacrifice one's dignity. Social media can often be a source of misinformation around health care issues, and this poses another barrier to care. A CHW is aware of the support and resources within the community which can help decrease the barriers to care for the people they serve.
Ultimately, as CHWs become active in creating bonds with community members, educating them about their unique health needs and connecting them with the appropriate health care resources, the expectation is that the overall health of people in our county should improve over time.
Smith said she has confidence in the people being trained in Sangamon County as they come from a variety of work experience backgrounds and the CHW skills they are learning will build upon their life experiences, which is how to effectively reach people in the community.