Employing Community-Engaged Approaches to Develop and Implement E-Learning for Community Health Workers and Peer Specialists.

Background: New public policies support the growth of the community health worker (CHW) and peer support specialist/peer recovery coach (peer) workforces in health and behavioral health settings. In their roles as a bridge to medical teams, they often face complex interpersonal situations.

Objectives: The current project used community-engaged methodologies to develop and evaluate a series of e-learning modules designed to teach behavioral health-related skills to CHWs and peers. The modules focused on motivational interviewing (MI) and behavioral activation (BA) approaches.

Methods: The project team consisted of university faculty and a community advisory board (CAB) of frontline CHWs and peers as well as representatives from local community organizations and the state Department of Health and Human Services. The community advisory board and faculty worked collaboratively to design, implement, and evaluate the modules. Participants completed pre- and immediate post-learning surveys (n = 87) and 3-month follow-up surveys (n = 23). We found that 75% were extremely satisfied and 23% were somewhat satisfied. Planned frequency of using the skills increased by 18% (MI) and 25% (behavioral activation). There was a 27% improvement in feeling prepared to use MI and a 16% improvement in feeling prepared to set goals and implement action plans. At 3 months, 100% of respondents reported having applied something they learned to their work. After project completion, the university transferred ownership of the modules to a community organization for sustainability.

Conclusions: Beyond degree program learners, universities can provide education to the community through innovative partnerships. E-learning modules are one satisfactory option for providing sustainable education to the community.