Key Learning Objectives

  • Recognize the history, the core values and the essence of the key role CHWs play in underserved communities and understand the landscape of the CHW workforce and the integration efforts and routes throughout the US.

  • Describe community health models and the roles, responsibilities and skills of a CHW, and their role in improving community health in the landscape affected by social determinants of health, structural racism and inequality.

  • Apply the tenets of The JJ WayⓇ methodology to the role of CHW, offering trauma-informed care with a lens of reproductive justice.

Course Description

This 8-week comprehensive program provides community health worker skills and competencies with a special focus on perinatal health. Participants will be prepared to provide life-saving education and support to childbearing parents and families, as well as play a significant role as part of the maternal health care professional in a variety of work settings. This course focuses on understanding racism in existing healthcare delivery systems, inequities in health outcomes and modeling strong community collaborations to establish perinatal networks that address needs in marginalized communities. 


As ‘perinatal practitioner extenders’ with a firm foundation in maternal child health (MCH), our CHW’s are trained to work in a variety of settings including private practices, birth centers, hospitals, clinics, community settings and homes, building and modeling strong collaborations to establish perinatal networks. 


Course topics include: 

  • Community Health Worker foundations

  • Maternal & infant health outcomes in the US

  • Centering the birthing person in service delivery and education

  • Empowering communities and transforming maternal care in the US

  • Building support networks and culturally responsive resources

  • Understanding professional responsibility and consent 

Next Course Dates

May 11 - June 29 2021

Live sessions Tuesday 7-1030pm EST

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Diana Perez Ramirez CHW

Instructor | Curriculum Development

Diana Perez-Ramirez is a community health worker, apprentice midwife, language justice worker and public health practitioner working in different fronts to build our collective capacity to organize and care for each other. Her own lived experience as a migrant kid growing up undocumented in anti-immigrant so called Arizona was her entry point into the migrant justice movement, community health work, anti police repression and prisoner solidarity work.

She is a founding member of Puente Human Rights Movement, a founding member of Phoenix Allies for Community Health and served as member chair of the membership committee at Families for Freedom in NYC. She has been involved in the movement to abolish prison slavery, including supporting the prison strikes of 2016 and 2018 and the liberation of US political prisoners.

Her other passion involves organizing and elevating the Community Health Worker workforce in the different settings where they build stronger healthier communities.

Certified Community Health Worker (CCHW) credential

Upon completion of this course, students will be granted certification through Commonsense Childbirth Institute as a Certified Community Health Worker (CCHW) and may also obtain a Community Health Worker certification from the State of Florida via Florida Certification Board. https://flcertificationboard.org/.

Students in other states should check with their State certification and licensure boards about becoming certified. This certification may lead to employment in Maternal Child Health, or in being eligible to bill independently for services under the CPT and HCPCS coding system for perinatal healthcare services.

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This comprehensive course will give participants the tools to provide life-saving education and support.

Find out about next cohort.