Core Upstream CHW
Adults 18 or older with a high school diploma or equivalent (or completing one before certification) who want to become community health workers, including partner staff and career changers.
Every pathway shares the same core. Graduates who meet Ohio's requirements apply for the Ohio CHW certificate. How the certificate works.
Three ways to pace the same program
| Schedule | Classroom and lab | Practicum | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerated | 12 weeks, about 10 hours a week | 8 weeks, about 16 hours a week | Full-time learners and employer cohorts |
| Standard evening | 20 weeks, about 6 hours a week | 13 weeks, about 10 hours a week | Working adults |
| Extended part-time | 30 weeks, about 4 hours a week | 22 weeks, about 6 hours a week | Learners balancing family and work |
The upstream thread
Every clinical module carries one upstream lesson and one asset lesson. In module 103.4 on hypertension, for example, learners study blood pressure categories and home monitoring, then ask how food access, housing stress, neighborhood safety, and insurance gaps shape blood pressure on a given street, and which local assets could answer them.
Practicum sites
Community clinics and health centers, Strengthening Our Students (Healthy Home program), faith health ministries, senior centers, WIC and family service agencies, and public housing resident councils. Each site has a signed agreement and a named supervisor.
What you study, start to finish
Lesson pages open in the learning portal.