Kansas Community Health Worker Partnership (KCHWP)

Aug 18

As part of NLAPH’s tenth cohort during the 2020-2021 program year, Elaine Johannes and the Kansas Community Health Work Partnership (KCHWP) team focused on increasing the awareness of, acceptance for, and availability of community health workers (CHWs) by providing trainings to communities across sectors within the state of Kansas. Since their time in the program, Elaine and her team have found success in their pursuit to expand opportunities and improve work conditions for CHWs. KCHWP has achieved this by providing training and certification to CHWs and by focusing on finding and recruiting employers in their local communities to hire them. Recently, a change in Kansas state policy has allowed employers to provide reimbursement for any Medicaid recipient who receives care from a CHW. This new change has allowed Elaine and her team to find further success in expanding employment opportunities for CHWs.

Elaine has found that the NLAPH program provided useful insights into reflective practice and organic leadership, as well as providing a better understanding of health equity and its importance for her team. Several program modules focused on framing and contextualizing the team’s work also allowed them to more easily identify key issues to address during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team’s coach, Dr. Edward Ehlinger, provided excellent guidance and support for the members of KCHWP during a time when the majority of work was conducted remotely due to COVID-19. While the team did not create the community health profession, Elaine says they are proud to advocate for community health workers in Kansas through their work during NLAPH and beyond.

Published May 1, 2023