The Community Health Worker Assocition of RI (CHWARI) is excited to announce our newly appointed Advisory Council! These devoted and informed advocates will shape and direct the future of CHWARI for the next two years.
For years the CHWARI worked under an Executive Director model and we are grateful for Dr. Sarah Lawrence and the energy and passion she brought to that role. She was a fierce advocate for more CHW voices at the decision-making table. To that end, in 2024 she began the process of forming an Advisory Council to govern and direct CHWARI. We are proud to announce this robust group of devoted and informed advocates.
As CHWARI approaches the end of the CCR-19 grant, sustainability is a big concern. As many smaller organizations must curtail their programming, by being part of the robust environment of RIC’s Institute for Education in Healthcare, CHWARI will continue uninterrupted. IEH is committed to supporting CHWARI with a continued focus on our commitments to CHW: training, networking, communications, and advocacy.
The launching of the CHWARI Advisory Council reflects an intentional evolution of CHWARI and the importance of CHWs’ leadership within the Association, which has been part of the plan for CHWARI since it moved to RI College in 2018. Our choice to move from an Executive Director model to an Advisory Council allows multiple CHWs to make decisions on how the organization moves forward including: recommending what trainings should be offered and how staffing should be managed. Rather than one talented individual making decisions, we now have seven.
Change can feel uncomfortable. In reassurance, we remind you that in the last six months, CHWARI has offered more certification and re-certification application workshops in English and Spanish than ever before, including offering one-on-one portfolio coaching. We have collaborated with partners to advertise more core training opportunities than in previous years, even if we were not the training provider. In partnership with IEH, CHWARI has been able to provide Core training to close to 500 individuals in the last 3 years, where over 200 entered CHW apprenticeships with support for becoming certified CHWs. Twenty five apprentices have already become certified in 2025 with our help. And all while the sky has been falling… Our hope is that with the informed guidance of the Advisory Council we continue to serve you even better in the decades to come!
Meet the Advisory Council here! Refresh your memory of the current CHWARI Team here.
In Community!
The Community Health Worker Association of RI