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Since the Community Health Worker (CHW) training program's inception, ����ɬ���� has received funding from organizations who support the importance of community health workers affecting health.

HealthPath Foundation of Ohio

is a grantmaking organization working to improve the health of Ohio’s communities. Since 1999, HealthPath has awarded more than $21 million in grants to address health issues across its 36-county service area. 

In 2021, HealthPath awarded a $261,000 three-year grant to the ����ɬ���� College of Public Health to expand the impact of Community Health Workers (CHWs) to the Mahoning Valley, Ohio. Thanks to a partnership with the ����ɬ���� at Trumbull (Warren, Ohio), Mahoning County Public Health, Trumbull County Combined Health District, Mercy Health and Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley, and other partners, the College of Public Health trained 30 CHWs by December 2024 to increase the CHW workforce in the Mahoning Valley.

The goal of the College of Public Health’s efforts in the Mahoning Valley was to help to improve the health of Mahoning Valley residents by increasing neighborhood-based community health and outreach services such as chronic disease screening and prevention. 

“HealthPath Foundation of Ohio has made an indelible impact on the health of the Mahoning Valley and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to fully train 30 new CHWs through this grant, bringing 3,900 hours of service to the community,” says Sonia Alemagno, Ph.D., dean, College of Public Health.

“Since 2022, Mercy Health stewarded 9 students successfully through the ����ɬ���� Community Health Worker program and became certified by the State of Ohio Board of Nursing,” states Leigh Greene, director of community health at Mercy Health. “Our CHWs are a bridge to the Mahoning Valley's most underserved populations, including the Hispanic and Latino community. Thanks to the skills and competencies learned during the College of Public Health's training program, our CHWs provide health screenings and services to people who would otherwise not receive them. I am beyond grateful to ����ɬ���� and to the HealthPath Foundation for their support.”

“Community health workers play a vital role in providing health services to the community while eliminating barriers that prevent access to care,” says Abby Haynes, grants manager and administrator at HealthPath Foundation of Ohio. “HealthPath was thrilled to award this grant to the ����ɬ���� College of Public Health and its partners, as it is already making a real difference in the lives of the communities of Mahoning and Trumbull counties. The newly trained CHWs deliver outreach, prevention, and advocacy services to community members, supporting them to achieve their best health,” Haynes concludes.

Read about our CHW alumni making a difference in the Mahoning Valley

In 2023, ����ɬ���� joined the collaborative led by MetroHealth Medical Center to train 240 community health workers over the next three years. Cleveland-based MetroHealth is bringing together a that includes Better Health Partnership, CHW training programs at ����ɬ����, Cuyahoga Community College, and Cleveland State University, and other county and community partners and health systems throughout Northeast Ohio.