McKesson Institute of Community & Health

McKesson Institute Community & Health

The McKesson Institute of Community & Health

The McKesson Institute of Community & Health is an approved provider of certification and continuing education for community health workers. The McKesson Institute for Community & Health was created to help link our company’s purpose of Advancing Health Outcomes For All® through innovation, development, and execution of health access differentiators. In 2022, we introduced the Community Health Worker (CHW) discipline to McKesson. Now, through the McKesson Institute of Community & Health, we are offering CHW certified focused training and ongoing education for new and established CHWs to support the role of CHWs into our communities where we live and serve.

What is a Community Health Worker?

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are frontline trusted members of, or deeply understands, the community they serve – and often act as a liaison between health, social services, and the community. They also build individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy.

Woman in pink hijab working on a laptop at a bright desk with plants and a lamp.

Course Description

The CHW certification course places emphasis on health access and clinical integration. The course is offered via a blended learning method consisting of live virtual group sessions and self-paced on-demand individual lessons. The online training environment allows participants more flexibility. Self-paced on-demand modules allow for consistency and repetition of content. Learners can review the content as many times as needed while enrolled and review the course materials at their own pace.

The CHW certification course is based on the following core competencies*:

Communication Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Service Coordination Skills
Capacity-Building Skills
Advocacy Skills
Teaching Skills
Organizational Skills
Knowledge-based Skills

*Core competency requirements vary by state – listed are required by Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)

Benefits

Creates upward career mobility opportunities
Supports deeper connection with community agencies
Enhance and expand patient care
Standardizes the competencies of lay navigators in practices and aligns them with existing and future payment models

Schedule & Course Expectations

Weekly live sessions in Microsoft Teams for up to 20 weeks (typically 10), 160 hours
On-demand self-paced modules are completed in the Cornerstone online platform
Learners will complete group activities, demonstrations, role-playing, and case studies over the course of 10 weeks
The CHW course is graded as a “Pass” or “Fail” course. Students that complete 80% of the coursework satisfactorily

Materials & Equipment Required

Computer or Laptop
Webcam
Internet connection/Wi-Fi
Notebook/paper & writing utensil

McKesson Institute of Community & Health Legal Disclaimer (PDF, 96 KB)