Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has announced a new funding opportunity aimed at promoting the role of community health workers (CHWs) in Illinois. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will provide grant money to an organization tasked with developing a multi-year campaign to support and integrate CHWs into health teams.

Community health workers play a vital role as intermediaries between healthcare services and the community. IDPH is committed to supporting these workers through various initiatives, including the development of a certification program intended to enhance training quality and facilitate Medicaid reimbursement for CHW services.

This grant initiative seeks to bolster CHW programs statewide by increasing awareness and understanding of their contributions. It also aims to effectively integrate CHWs into public health, healthcare, and human services organizations while fostering a diverse and skilled workforce.

"Illinois’s public health depends on building trust in our communities," stated IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. "Community health workers are critical frontline workers who have a closer understanding of the communities they serve. We encourage organizations to apply for this meaningful opportunity to raise awareness of community health workers and support the integration of their work into our health system."

The initial grant offers up to $25,000 for an organization to create a plan advancing the CHW workforce in Illinois. Once developed, the grantee may receive additional non-competitive annual continuation grants over three years, potentially totaling approximately $2 million, subject to funding availability.

Interested parties can find more information about grant requirements and application procedures at http://www.idphgrants.com under "Health Promotion." Applications are due by March 17, 2025, at 5 p.m. Central time. An informational session about this funding opportunity will be held on February 14, 2025, at 1 p.m. Central time via https://illinois.webex.com/meet/CHW.Review.Board.