Thriving - Beyond Survival

Through collaboration of the Washington State Department of Health State Office of Rural Health, the WWAMI AHEC Programs, the Washington Rural Health Association and the Rural Health Clinic Association of Washington this annual conference brings together a consortium of rural healthcare professionals from around the region to provide an experience that expands professional knowledge, promotes partnership, and explores the new and emerging opportunities to advance rural health.

Link to the conference agenda 

Presentations organized and sponsored by AHECWW: 

Latinx Rural Health Workforce Development

Dr. Gino Aisenberg, Associate Professor at the School of Social Work, University of Washington and co-Director at the Latino Center for Health

Along with Dr. Morales, co-director of the Latino Center for Health, Dr. Aisenberg has been engaged in efforts to promote workforce development of Latinx professionals across the health sciences, particularly in rural communities. The Latino Center for Health is an interdisciplinary research center focused on improving the health and well-being of Latinx individuals, families and communities in Washington State.

Dr. Aisenberg has developed an innovative training and curriculum program, Nueva Vista, in partnership the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic and Heritage University. This program trains bachelor-level staff and paraprofessionals to deliver a brief 8-session evidence-based, manualized CBT depression intervention for Latinx adults. This culturally tailored CBT treatment is delivered by telephone. This work is becoming a model for workforce development of Latinx behavioral health practitioners. Currently, it has been extended to train and supervise bachelor-level staff and promotoras of 3 community providing organizations to deliver this telephone-based intervention for depression.

Key to the Center’s success is its authentic partnerships with community stakeholders to translate research into culturally responsive practices and health policies that promote impactful improvements in physical and mental health for urban and rural Latinx populations.

This presentation highlighted the shortage of Latinx Physicians and other Health Professions in WA state as well as data of the state’s diverse Latino population to strategically inform workforce development efforts that build on the critical role that community and technical colleges can play in meeting the health needs of Latinx individuals, families and communities. In addition, this presentation highlighted an innovative workforce development program in behavioral health that provides culturally tailored, manualized cognitive behavioral treatment to adult Latinos struggling with depression, particularly in rural communities. This specialized program promotes health equity and addresses the shortage of trained bilingual and bicultural mental health providers by training and supervising bachelor-level staff and promotoras to deliver this evidence-based intervention by telephone.

Utilizing and Supporting Community Health Workers and Promotoras in Rural Settings

Kim Wilson, Community-based Workforce Program Manager, Better Health Together

Kim Wilson works for Better Health Together as the Community Based Worker (CBW) workforce development program manager. She supports both the HRSA Community Health Worker training program and Eastern WA CHW Network. The continuous support for a skilled, diverse CHW workforce has remained a passion since taking the CHW training in 2016. Kim has worked at a local, regional, state, and national level to advocate for CHWs.

In this presentation, Kim illustrated the important roles of Community Health Workers/ Promotores in rural communities. Participants learned about CHW pathways, recruitment and retention, as well as how to create an inclusive culture. There was sharing of information about the Better Health Together CHW programs (i.e. HRSA CHW Training Program and Eastern WA CHW Network). This session also included how to pay for CHW as staff, providing continued training and support CHW, including forging pathways to leadership for CHW.

Advancing Rural Health Equity through the NIH All of Us Research Program

Janessa M. Graves, Associate Professor, WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine University of Washington

Janessa Graves is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington (UW). She holds an MPH in environmental and occupational health sciences and a PhD in health services research from the UW School of Public Health. Dr. Graves is recognized for her expertise in rural health, injury research, occupational health services research, and community engagement. 

In this session, information about the National Institute of Health’s All of Us Research Program will be discussed.  This program holds promise to address health disparities, including in rural communities. This presentation described the program's role in advancing rural health equity. Attendees learned about the NIH All of Us Research Program, how this initiative is utilized in rural health research and how community engagement and participation are central to its success. This presentation provided information for potential participants as well as to researchers interested in using All of Us data and will highlight recent research findings using these data. 

Presentations organized and sponsored by AHECWW: 

Utilizing International Medical Graduates to Address the Physician Shortage

Dr. Mohammed Kalif, Director, Washington Academy for International Medical Graduates

In this presentation, Dr. Mohamed Khalif will talk about International Medical Graduates, 
the barriers they face to practicing medicine, and how rural employers can utilize this   
untapped workforce.

Healthcare Apprenticeships to Strengthen and Diversify Your Workforce

Laura Hopkins, Executive Director of SEIU 1199 NW Multi Employer & Education Fund

This session will offer attendees a brief history of apprenticeships in healthcare settings and an overview of the Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium (HCAC) Apprenticeship Program. The session will highlight the benefits of apprenticeships including return on investment, increased recruitment/retention, increased diversity and equitable access into the healthcare and behavioral health field. Presenter will share briefly about the various apprenticeship pathways offered by the HCAC including Medical Assisting, Pharmacy Tech, Sterile Processing, Substance Use Disorder, Peer Counseling and Behavioral Health Tech. 

State Funded Resources for Providing Behavioral Health Care

Cara Towle, UWSOM Harborview Medical Center Behavioral Health Institute

This presentation State Funded Resources for Providing Behavioral Health Care will review several of the educational and consultative resources available at no cost to support Washington State clinicians who provide behavioral/mental health care for their patients.

 

Becoming a Healer: Cultural Safety as a New Paradigm

Dr. Raj Sundar, Family Medicine Kaiser Permanente, Seattle

At the conclusion of this educational presentation, the participant will be able to:
Describe the difference between cultural competence, cultural humility and cultural safety.
Name the different facets of a person’s identity and how to approach it.
Give examples of incorporating the history and culture of local communities leads to better care.