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Equipping Our Workforce to Care for People with Complex Needs

Members of the Health Education Literacy Team from ArchCare, a BPHC member organization, participate in Cultural Competency Training.

 

Workers who interact with patients are not limited to hospitals and doctors’ offices. They can be found at substance abuse treatment centers, housing services, clinics, home health care agencies, meals programs and more.

DSRIP is opening doors to new jobs, opportunities and roles for healthcare workers – roles that enhance their scope of work and prepare them for community-based care.

Participants who take BPHC’s Medical Office Assistant Refresher Training are eligible to take an exam for national certification, which takes place on the last day of training. To date, participants in three training groups have taken and passed the exam.

One growing and important role is that of the Care Coordinator who works with the patient, doctor and the community to ensure that the patient is going to follow-up appointments and receiving any needed local services such as meal deliveries, smoking cessation programs, mental health services, and more.

BPHC provides trainings to ensure that these professionals have the preparation and support needed to coordinate care for people who have many medical and social service needs.

Communication is also critical to working with patients who come from diverse backgrounds and have differing experiences with the health system.  BPHC trainings give workers the skills and insights to listen, speak and offer care through the lens of a patient’s culture, beliefs, languages and communication style.

Marcia Stoddard-Pennant, Community Health Worker with The Bronx Health Link, a BPHC member organization found the training to be very enlightening. “It starts with self-reflection on your own identity and the impact it has on your work. From there you can understand others’ worldview and meet them where they are. It’s the only way we can truly reach our patients.”

 

Published February 23, 2017