Resources
On this page you will find useful resources, studies, tools and articles so you can improve your learning projects and hone strategy.
Supporting a community health team with limited resources can be a daunting task. What self-care strategies do they need? How can they control stress and enjoy their work more? As a supervisor or program manager, how do you spot signs of burnout and compassion fatigue earlier?
Learning the answers to those questions will help you support your staff and model important skills they can use to work with clients with behavioral health disorders.
Join us as we discuss improving your team’s mental wellness, identify signs that an employee is at risk for depression, anxiety, or secondary trauma, and show you how you can help your team improve their personal and professional lives.
In this 60-minute session you will learn:
- How to be proactive about preventing depression, anxiety, secondary trauma, burnout and compassion fatigue
- How to recognize warning signs among your staff
- Simple strategies for developing healthy habits of thought
- How stigma can prevent treatment that could improve the quality of life
- How to keep employees satisfied in their roles, longer
This Presentation Features:
- Monique Cuvelier, the CEO and co-founder of Talance, Inc., and director of CHWTraining. She will draw from new training on supervisor skills and working through depression, anxiety and stress.
- Jeanine Joy, Ph.D., The CEO and founder of Happiness 1st Institute and Executive Director of Thrive More Now Institute. She will draw from more than two decades of research on what makes humans thrive with a strengths, mindset, and positive psychology focus.
The Coronavirus Is Changing the Community Health Workforce. The Shifts May Be Here to Stay
Most Important Tobacco Cessation Skills for a CHW Training Plan
Asthma Awareness Best Practices
Oral Health Training Initiatives in Every State
What’s New for Diabetes and Prediabetes
The Definitive Guide to the Coronavirus for CHWs
How CHWs Can Help fight COVID-19
Community health workers (CHWs) are concerned about how the coronavirus impacts their well-being and the people to who are their clients, their families, and community members.
CHWs are in a unique position to prevent the spread of the disease COVID-19. They can provide accurate, evidence-based information from trusted sources, help address anxiety and depression, and provide other support to clients because of this public health crisis.
CHWTraining has been working to provide information to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Below is a curated list of resources to support CHWs. We’ll continue to update this list with information as the situation progresses and as reliable information is available.
Do you have suggestions that would be useful for others? Share them with us on Twitter at @chwtraining
- General Information About the Coronavirus
- People at a Higher Risk
- Myths
- Mental Health
- Food Insecurity
- Training Opportunities
General Information About the Coronavirus
News about the coronavirus and the disease caused by it (COVID-19) is quickly changing and can be confusing. These resources provide useful information in plan language to share with clients.
- A simple guide to coronavirus to share with patients and clients, CHWTraining
- What healthcare workers should know about COVID-19, CDC
- Coronavirus Resource Center, Harvard Medical School
- Specific phrases & word choices that can be helpful when dealing with COVID19, Serious Illness Conversations
Latest COVID-19 Research Studies, The Lancet
“To assist health workers and researchers working under challenging conditions to bring this outbreak to a close, The Lancet has created a Coronavirus Resource Centre. This resource brings together new 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) content from across The Lancet journals as it is published.”
Guidelines for Frontline Workers, Unicef
UNICEF provides CHWs with helpful guidelines and reports regarding various aspects of the COVID-19 crisis including special considerations for many key health areas including nutrition, HIV/AIDS, and hygiene.
Managing COVID-19 in Healthcare Facilities, CDC
To optimize the safety and efficiency of healthcare settings, specific strategies and considerations have been developed to help CHWs deal with the pandemic. Tactics for infection control, PPE supply, and staffing shortages can improve how practitioners deal with the current surge in patient numbers and hospital services. These management methods will not only improve the experience for healthcare workers but for patients as well.
People at a Higher Risk
Anyone can contract the disease and may become seriously sick, but some people are at a higher risk of having complications or death from COVID-19. These include such conditions as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and other underlying conditions.
What’s New for Diabetes and Prediabetes, CHWTraining
CHWs can advise on what diabetes is, how to interpret blood sugar levels, share healthy eating ideas and recipes, and give ideas for physical activity. They can also connect clients to professionals who can provide more support beyond a physical, such as dental workers and dietitians. They can also help vulnerable and minority communities who have statistically worse health outcomes from diabetes.
COVID-19 and Asthma, CHWTraining
Asthma is one of the underlying health conditions that can increase people’s risk for serious case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. This doesn’t mean they’re more likely to get an infection, but they are more likely to have worse outcomes if they become sick with COVID-19.
Hospitals are a bad place to be right now. People with lung conditions are more frequently admitted to hospitals because of their illnesses.
The best thing frontline health workers can do is help people stay home, keep a safe distance from others, and avoid getting sick in the first place. They should stay connected with their healthcare providers about any symptom changes. And, of course, follow the asthma action plan.
COVID-19 and Heart Disease, ACC
Managing heart disease patients during the COVID-19 pandemic can be tricky due to the higher mortality risk of this group. CHWs need to continue following up with such patients to ensure their drug compliance and to reduce risk of complications. They can take special precautions to prevent occurrence of major cardiovascular events like thrombosis and infarction. Further considerations are needed for elderly patients and essentials workers with a history of heart disease.
Myths
COVID Myths Busted, WHO
It’s important for CHWs to spread awareness and minimize misinformation about COVID-19. Rumors about the virus including its method of transmission, life span, treatment, and symptoms can cause unnecessary panic. Healthcare workers are responsible for sharing scientific facts to help manage the crisis. Creating flyers, advising patients during check-ups and consultations, and using word of mouth to circulate COVID-19 facts are recommended.
More Than Just an Infection, World Psychiatric Association
COVID-19 is not only a novel virus but a novel worldwide phenomenon. Therefore, it is crucial to address the psychological implications of the pandemic. CHWs “know it is not only the physical effects of COVID-19 that are detrimental for society, but also the mental health effects. As well as supporting people with mental ill health, supporting everybody’s mental health is key.”
Mental Health
10 Signs You Need to Make a Behavioral Health Referral, CHWTraining
Chronic stress can come from many sources such as poverty, long-term sickness, or domestic violence, in addition to a global pandemic. Stress has a serious effect on a person’s overall wellness. It can increase the risk of heart disease and strokes. It can increase depression, anxiety, and more serious mental illnesses—all associated with heart disease and a lower immune system. Stress can also lead people to unhealthy choices with food and substances. Find out what to do when someone needs a behavioral health referral.
COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide, National Alliance on Mental Illness
NAMI released the NAMI COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide to answer frequently asked questions regarding the intersection between Coronavirus, or COVID-19, and people affected by mental illness, their caregivers and loved ones. The guide features FAQs on a variety of topics from managing anxiety and social isolation to accessing health care and medications.
Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak, WHO
“The considerations presented in this document have been developed by the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use as a series of messages that can be used in communications to support mental and psychosocial well-being in different target groups during the outbreak.”
Food Insecurity
The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Demand and Supply, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
How does COVID-19 affect the food market in terms of demand and supply? Which groups are at high risk of food insecurity during this pandemic? How will food prices change the lives of both farmers and consumers? The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) creates updated resources for the public including Q&A sheets and policy briefs to evaluate the crisis and offer solutions.
Need Help? Find Food, Feeding America
The Feeding America network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs serve virtually every community in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Food is free without any expectation of donation or repayment. Search by zip code or state using the food bank locator and contact the food bank that serves your area.
Training Opportunities
Burnout Prevention for CHW Supervisors, CHWTraining
Supporting a community health team with limited resources can be a daunting task right now. What self-care strategies do they need? How can they control stress and enjoy their work more? As a supervisor or program manager, how do you spot signs of burnout and compassion fatigue earlier? You can help your team improve their personal and professional lives. Improve your team’s mental wellness by identifying early signs that an employee is at risk for depression, anxiety, or secondary trauma.ou can help your team improve their personal and professional lives.
Making Contact: A Training for COVID-19 Contact Tracers, ASTHO
Introductory online course for entry-level COVID-19 contact tracers, for use by health agencies in rapid training of new contact tracers. The training will be augmented by state/local specific training required to orient individuals to jurisdiction-specific protocols. This training focuses on building knowledge for remote contact tracing; a subsequent release will include a module on field services.
COVID-19 & Diabetes: Examining the impact of health disparities in a time of crisis, ADA
“Learn how inequalities in factors like income, food access, health care access, housing, transportation and more impact minority populations disproportionately affected by diabetes during this pandemic. In addition, learn about ADA’s Advocacy efforts to address these upstream factors contributing to health as they relate to diabetes and COVID-19, and how you can raise your voice in support of ADA’s vital health equity work.”
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Case studies, research and factsheets on depression, substance use, and other mental illnesses
Types of Dementia
From the Alzheimer’s Association.
Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? (video)
(Approx. 30 minutes) Directed and Produced by Eamon Harrington and John Watkin; based on the book “What’s Happening to Grandpa?” by Maria Shriver
Men and Depression (PDF; 74.3 KB)
A factsheet from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Major Depressive Disorder: Janet (PDF; 95.4 KB)
An in-depth case study and discussion adapted from Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology, by Olrmanns, Neale and Davison.
NIAAA
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
NIDA
National Institute on Drug Abuse
ADAI
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute of University of Washington
Rethinking Drinking
A resource from the NIAAA for reevaluating individual drinking habits
The language of health insurance, especially when it comes to costs, can be complex and confusing. This excerpt from online course Navigating Health Insurance helps demystify.
Co-Insurance
May also be known as co-payment(see below). Co-insurance is the percentage paid for services after the deductible has been met. For example, you may pay 20% while the insurance company pays 80%.
Example: Leo has a family health insurance plan with a $500 deductible and 20% co-insurance. In March, the entire family had checkups, which cost $500. The deductible hadn’t been met yet, so Leo paid the doctors for these checkups. Then in April, one of his daughters became sick, and the doctor visit cost $50. Since the deductible was paid, Leo paid $10 (20% of that cost), and the insurance company paid $40 (80%).
Co-Payments
May also be known as co-insurance(see above). A flat fee for services used. For example, a patient may have a $10 co-payment for every office visit, regardless of the level of care received at that visit.
Example: You may be required to pay $20 for every doctor visit, $50 for a visit to the emergency room, and $10 for each medication. You may have to pay a higher fee for brand-name medications.
Deductibles
The amount of money required for health care before insurance will cover costs. Many insurance plans are based on a yearly deductible amount.
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
A special savings account arranged through an employer, who will retain a portion of your earnings and put it into the FSA. FSAs usually cover medical expenses and like a health savings account (HSA–see below), are not taxed. However, there is a “use it or lose it” rule that means that money not spent at the end of the year is lost. It is important for anyone considering an FSA to guess how much they may need to cover deductible expenses and co-payments. That varies depending on a person’s family and situation. For example, a single, young and healthy person might only plan for dental cleanings or first aid supplies. A married couple with children needs to plan for doctor co-pays, unplanned trips to the emergency room and even such expenses as braces.
Health Savings Account (HSA)
A special savings accounts for health care expenses only. People who have high-deductible insurance plans (sometimes known as catastrophic coverage) are eligible to set up an HSA. The money in an HSA is not taxed and even may be invested. People with HSAs have complete control over the money as long as it is used for health care expenses. HSAs are generally best for people who are healthy and who do not anticipate high medical expenses in the near future.
Out-Of-Pocket Maximum
A limited amount that a person must pay before insurance will pay 100% of health care costs.
Premium
The monthly amount an individual pays to have a particular health insurance plan.
Resources to help you find more information about health literacy.
Low Health Literacy Skills Increase Annual Health Care Expenditures by $73 Billion
The societal cost of low health literacy
America’s Health Literacy: Why We Need Accessible Health Information
Newest Vital Sign (PDF; 516 KB)
Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish-speaking Adults (SAHLSA) (PDF; 132 KB)