The Center for Health Impact is a leading provider of workforce development and training for Community Health Workers (CHWs), Medical Interpreters, and other health professionals. Through our in-person and online courses, we equip our students with the practical skills to facilitate health care access for all.
Central Massachusetts Area Health Education Center
CHI is part of the MassAHEC Network, a program of UMass Medical School, since 1982. AHEC, which stands for Area Health Education Center, is a federally funded program.
Health Care Workforce Training
For over 35 years CHI has been at the forefront of building the capacity of community members, healthcare leaders, clinicians, community health workers, medical interpreters and other front line staff. We host a wide array of professional development opportunities to ensure our training and workshop participants acquire the skills necessary to help reduce health disparities. Our offerings range from specialized hour-long workshops to multi-session nationally recognized certificate programs.
Medical Interpreter Training
This in-depth training course provides participants with essential principles, methods, and competencies (both knowledge and skills-based) for delivering effective, reliable, and comprehensive interpretation in clinical and human service settings. The course explores contemporary issues in the field of medical interpretation including immigration trends, legal mandates, and certification.
Community Interpreter Training
The training provides students with principles, methods, and competencies (both knowledge and skills-based) essential to the delivery of effective, reliable, and comprehensive interpreting. This course develops a theoretical and practical understanding of the multiple roles of the interpreter as well as the related ethical, cultural, and linguistic challenges that arise in this evolving field.
Suicide Prevention
Troubling statistics indicate that death by suicide is rising at an alarming rate and increasingly impacting racial/ethnic minorities. In communities of color, cultural factors combined with race-related stressors known to negatively impact mental health present special challenges. CHI offers suicide prevention workshops that are for the general population and specifically for community health workers.
COURSE & WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
View our schedule calendar of courses and workshops available.