Health Impact Ohio Co-Hosts 2024 CHW Statewide Conference

Written By Brittany Daniels

By: Heidi Welch, Chief Operating Officer, Health Impact Ohio

The 2024 Statewide Community Health Worker (CHW) Conference was held in Columbus, Ohio on October 24th and 25th. Health Impact Ohio was thrilled to be a lead host organization with Ohio University and The Ohio State University at the two-day conference that welcomed 385 CHWs, supervisors, social service, and public health professionals.

Programming included a pre-conference on October 24th that included content on economic wellness, a contact hour on establishing and maintaining professional boundaries, and a Category A contact hour, which relates to the Ohio Nurse Practice Act and the Ohio Board of Nursing’s administrative rules. Pre-conference contact hours were provided by the Ohio Nurses Association and were provided in direct response to a need expressed by CHWs to HIO staff during statewide HUB site visits earlier in 2024.

CHWs gathered the evening of October 24th to celebrate our first ever CHW Gala and Awards Ceremony. Attendees enjoyed an evening of dancing, food, togetherness and celebration in recognizing the work they do every day in every area of the state to provide essential care coordination to their clients. Six CHWs were individually recognized for being nominated by their CHW colleagues for special awards. Awards and awardees are as follows:

  • Community Innovator Award: Fainisha Johnson

  • Leadership Award: Alvernese Ford

  • Firsthand Advocate: LaQuisha Richardson

  • Emerging Talent Award: Saquoia Marsh

  • Ally Award: Rebecca Kelly

  • Legacy Award: Celebrating Enduring Impact: Queen Smith

CHWs returned Friday, October 25th for a full day conference that included two full plenaries, twenty-four breakout sessions, and five CHW focus groups. The keynote speaker was Vivian Jackson Anderson, a founding member of the Ohio Community Health Worker Association, and the current Columbus Chapter President of the Central Ohio Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women. Ms. Jackson Anderson shared insights and historical perspectives of the CHW profession in Ohio, highlighting how far the movement has come.

The lunch plenary was focused on self-care for CHWs. Ashley Browning, a self-care strategist shared key self-care implementation strategies to ensure CHWs can care for themselves amid their effort to care for their communities.

Ohio University provided continuing education for the full day conference, a much-desired aspect of the conference by CHWs in past conference evaluations.

Breakout programming included the following topics:

  • Helping Victims of Human Trafficking

  • Empowering Equity and Advancing Racial Justice

  • Innovative Training and Support for CHWs

  • Enhancing Communications Among CHWs

  • Addressing Social Determinants of Health for Oncology Patients

  • Community Health Work in Rural Appalachia

  • Building a Community Approach

  • Creating and Mobilizing Affinity Spaces

  • Being a CHW After Having a CHW

  • Bringing Community to the Decision-Making Table

  • Creating Impact Stories

  • Healing as a Community

  • Trauma Recovery

  • Enhancing Communication with Individuals with Communication Disorders

  • CHW Certification

  • Examining Cost Effectiveness of CHW Programs

  • Pathways to Inclusion for Accessible Services

  • Gender Affirming Assessment and Care

  • Integrating CHWs in Primary Care Practices

  • CHWs as Health Equity Champions

  • CHW Professionalism

  • The Importance of Joining Professional Organizations

  • Integrating CHWs into a Rural Local Health Department

  • CHWs in Pediatric Asthma Care

The conference was supported through generous sponsorship from the following organizations:

  • Ohio Center for CHW Excellence

  • Ohio Alliance for Population Health

  • Health Impact Ohio

  • Ohio Association of Community Health Centers

  • Humana

  • CareSource

  • Nationwide Children’s Hospital

  • Ohio University College of Health Sciences and Professions

  • Columbus Medical Association

  • CelebrateOne

  • Kent State College of Public Health

  • Ohio University Department of Social Work

  • Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging

  • Integrated Services for Behavioral Health

  • The Diabetes Institute at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

The rich content, sponsors, celebration, awards, and overall experience is a direct result of the collaboration between CHWs across the state that came together as a planning committee. Months of preparation resulted in a day that welcomed individuals from all over Ohio, celebrating the CHW profession. Stay tuned as we release more details from the conference, including photos and a website with all of the resources, including copies and recordings of presentations.

For information on how to be involved in future CHW conferences, contact HIO’s Operations & Finance Manager, Bibiana Lagos at bibiana@healthimpactohio.org.

The Ohio Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. (OBN-001-91).

Consortium for Health Education in Appalachia Ohio is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Midwest Multistate Division, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Valid through January 31, 2027.

Brittany Daniels
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