HHS Announces $226.5 Million Community Health Worker Training Program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), this week announced the availability of $226.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to launch the Community Health Worker Training Program. The new program aims to increase the number of community health workers who play a critical role in connecting people to care, including COVID-19 case, mental health and substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery services, chronic disease care, and other important health services.

The Community Health Worker Training Program is a new multiyear program focused n education and on-the-job training to build the pipeline of public health workers. The effort will support training and apprenticeship programs to help more people enter the health workforce and serve the critical role of trusted messengers to connect people to care and support, help patients follow-up on their provider’s recommendations, and focus on preventive and protective factors that can improve health and well-being.

Through this program, HRSA plans to train 13,000 community health workers. Applications for the program are due June 14, 2022.

Additional information is available here.