Community Health Worker Project Brochure
Item
Center for Occupational
& Environmental Health
at Hunter College
The Hunter College Center for Occupational
& Environmental Health (COEH) offers a
variety of programs that promote urban
community and workplace health. We work
with community-based organizations,
schools, libraries, labor unions, private
employers and municipal and state agencies
to promote better understanding, access to
information and improved skills in addressing
public health environmental and workplace
concerns.
COEH programs include:
Community Health Worker Project
Community Asthma Management
Project
Environmental Worker Training
Program
Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
Hazardous Materials Management
Hazardous Materials Emergency
Response
The Community Health Worker
Network of NYC
The Community Health Worker Network of
NYC is a professional association of
Community Health Workers (CHWs).
CHWs are trusted members of the
community they serve and function as
frontline healthcare and social service
professionals. They work with the under-
served to remove barriers to healthcare
access. CHWs come from the community in
which they work and share ethnicity, culture,
language and life experiences.
The Network’s mission is to provide a forum
for networking opportunities, the sharing of
resources, and the expansion of the
community health worker field. The Network
promotes dialogue among CHWs so that they
may develop a collective voice to inform
policy issues relevant to their practice.
& Advocacy for Community Health Workers in New York C
ining
Tra
Community Health Worker Project
Hunter College of CUNY
Center for Occupational & Environmental Health
425 East 25 St—Box 616
New York, N.Y. 10010
Community Health Worker
Project
at
Hunter College
Strengthening the CHW field
in New York City through
advocacy and professional
development
A project of the
Center for Occupational &
Environmental Health at
Hunter College
425 East 25th St.
New York, NY 10010
212) 481-8790 - phone
(212) 481-8795 - fax
http://www. hunter.cuny.edwhealth/coch
What is the Community Health
Worker Project at
Hunter College?
The Community Health Worker Project at
Hunter College seeks to improve the
health and well-being of residents of New
York City’s most burdened and under-
served neighborhoods by strengthening
and developing the Community Health
Worker field in New York City.
Community Health Workers (CHWs),
also known as outreach workers,
promotoras, peer educators and health
advisors, are uniquely poised to address
barriers to health care access for New
York City’s most vulnerable communities.
CHWs need comprehensive training,
program and peer support, and integration
into the health care delivery system to
achieve the full potential of the services
they offer.
Community Health Workers must be
of the people they serve.
They must
Live with them...
Work with them...
Rejoice with them...
Suffer with them...
Grieve with them...
And decide with them.
World Health Organization
4
Project Goals
Labor-Market Analysis of CHW Field
e Survey current & potential employers of
CHWs
Identify facilitators & barriers to CHW
employment
Promote expansion of CHW field in
New York City
CHW Program Resource Directory
e Produce directory of CHW programs in
New York City
e Maintain current data base of CHW
programs
Credit-bearing CHW Training
Program at the City University of
New York (CUNY)
e Develop academic-community
partnership
Pilot introductory CHW course at
CUNY
CHW Advocacy
e Promote development of CHW
leadership
e Support the activities of the Community
Health Worker Network of NYC
www.chwnetwork.org
Funded in part by the Special Grants Program
United Hospital Fund
CHW Project at Hunter College
Advisory Committee (in formation)
Laurie Sherwen, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean, Hunter College School of Health
Professions
Nick Freudenberg, DrPH
Director, Urban Health Program
Hunter College School of Health Sciences
David Kotelchuck, PhD, MPH
Director, Hunter College COEH
Associate Professor
Hunter College School of Health Sciences
Louise Cohen, MPH
Director, Program Development
Bureau of Community Health Works
New York City Department of Health
Bakary Tandia
Health Outreach Coordinator
African Services Committee
Community Health Worker Network of NYC
Rosemary Obiapi
Union Settlement-Child Care Services
Community Health Worker Network of NYC
Jim Stiles
Executive Vice President
Lutheran Medical Center
Representatives of : Community Based
Organizations, Healthcare Providers, Healthcare
Unions, Workforce Development Programs,
CUNY Community Colleges
Program Coordinators:
Sergio Matos BS
(212) 481-7667
sergio.matos@hunter.cuny.edu
Elena Schwolsky RN, MPH
(212) 481-5193
elena.schwolsky@hunter.cuny.edu
www.chwnetwork.org
& Environmental Health
at Hunter College
The Hunter College Center for Occupational
& Environmental Health (COEH) offers a
variety of programs that promote urban
community and workplace health. We work
with community-based organizations,
schools, libraries, labor unions, private
employers and municipal and state agencies
to promote better understanding, access to
information and improved skills in addressing
public health environmental and workplace
concerns.
COEH programs include:
Community Health Worker Project
Community Asthma Management
Project
Environmental Worker Training
Program
Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
Hazardous Materials Management
Hazardous Materials Emergency
Response
The Community Health Worker
Network of NYC
The Community Health Worker Network of
NYC is a professional association of
Community Health Workers (CHWs).
CHWs are trusted members of the
community they serve and function as
frontline healthcare and social service
professionals. They work with the under-
served to remove barriers to healthcare
access. CHWs come from the community in
which they work and share ethnicity, culture,
language and life experiences.
The Network’s mission is to provide a forum
for networking opportunities, the sharing of
resources, and the expansion of the
community health worker field. The Network
promotes dialogue among CHWs so that they
may develop a collective voice to inform
policy issues relevant to their practice.
& Advocacy for Community Health Workers in New York C
ining
Tra
Community Health Worker Project
Hunter College of CUNY
Center for Occupational & Environmental Health
425 East 25 St—Box 616
New York, N.Y. 10010
Community Health Worker
Project
at
Hunter College
Strengthening the CHW field
in New York City through
advocacy and professional
development
A project of the
Center for Occupational &
Environmental Health at
Hunter College
425 East 25th St.
New York, NY 10010
212) 481-8790 - phone
(212) 481-8795 - fax
http://www. hunter.cuny.edwhealth/coch
What is the Community Health
Worker Project at
Hunter College?
The Community Health Worker Project at
Hunter College seeks to improve the
health and well-being of residents of New
York City’s most burdened and under-
served neighborhoods by strengthening
and developing the Community Health
Worker field in New York City.
Community Health Workers (CHWs),
also known as outreach workers,
promotoras, peer educators and health
advisors, are uniquely poised to address
barriers to health care access for New
York City’s most vulnerable communities.
CHWs need comprehensive training,
program and peer support, and integration
into the health care delivery system to
achieve the full potential of the services
they offer.
Community Health Workers must be
of the people they serve.
They must
Live with them...
Work with them...
Rejoice with them...
Suffer with them...
Grieve with them...
And decide with them.
World Health Organization
4
Project Goals
Labor-Market Analysis of CHW Field
e Survey current & potential employers of
CHWs
Identify facilitators & barriers to CHW
employment
Promote expansion of CHW field in
New York City
CHW Program Resource Directory
e Produce directory of CHW programs in
New York City
e Maintain current data base of CHW
programs
Credit-bearing CHW Training
Program at the City University of
New York (CUNY)
e Develop academic-community
partnership
Pilot introductory CHW course at
CUNY
CHW Advocacy
e Promote development of CHW
leadership
e Support the activities of the Community
Health Worker Network of NYC
www.chwnetwork.org
Funded in part by the Special Grants Program
United Hospital Fund
CHW Project at Hunter College
Advisory Committee (in formation)
Laurie Sherwen, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean, Hunter College School of Health
Professions
Nick Freudenberg, DrPH
Director, Urban Health Program
Hunter College School of Health Sciences
David Kotelchuck, PhD, MPH
Director, Hunter College COEH
Associate Professor
Hunter College School of Health Sciences
Louise Cohen, MPH
Director, Program Development
Bureau of Community Health Works
New York City Department of Health
Bakary Tandia
Health Outreach Coordinator
African Services Committee
Community Health Worker Network of NYC
Rosemary Obiapi
Union Settlement-Child Care Services
Community Health Worker Network of NYC
Jim Stiles
Executive Vice President
Lutheran Medical Center
Representatives of : Community Based
Organizations, Healthcare Providers, Healthcare
Unions, Workforce Development Programs,
CUNY Community Colleges
Program Coordinators:
Sergio Matos BS
(212) 481-7667
sergio.matos@hunter.cuny.edu
Elena Schwolsky RN, MPH
(212) 481-5193
elena.schwolsky@hunter.cuny.edu
www.chwnetwork.org
Title
Community Health Worker Project Brochure
Description
This brochure advertises the "Community Health Worker Project" run by Hunter College's Center for Environmental and Occupational Health (COEH). The project, one of COEH's major initiatives, recruited local residents from New York City neighborhoods for an extensive 350-hour curriculum that educated participants on the topic of asthma, its management, assessment, and remediation. Following their training, these health workers were entrusted with providing outreach to their communities, serving as a "vital link between health care providers, community organizations, and the communities they serve." In April 2000, the program commenced with an initial class of 15 health workers from a variety of community groups.
Formally established in 1990 by CUNY's Board of Trustees, the Hunter College Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) was founded with the mission "to promote community and workplace health" across the New York metropolitan area. Working with community groups, unions, governmental agencies, private employers, and educational institutions, the Center educated hundreds of thousands over the course of its history.
Formally established in 1990 by CUNY's Board of Trustees, the Hunter College Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) was founded with the mission "to promote community and workplace health" across the New York metropolitan area. Working with community groups, unions, governmental agencies, private employers, and educational institutions, the Center educated hundreds of thousands over the course of its history.
Contributor
Kotelchuck, David
Creator
Community Health Worker Project at Hunter College
Date
2000 (Circa)
Language
English
Rights
Creative Commons CDHA
Source
Center for Environmental and Occupational Health at Hunter College
Original Format
Pamphlet / Petition
Community Health Worker Project at Hunter College. Letter. 2000. “Community Health Worker Project Brochure”, 2000, CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, accessed March 10, 2026, https://stephenz.tailc22a4b.ts.net/s/cdha/item/1193