The Michigan Career Opportunity Academy for Community Health (MiCOACH) program supports recent high school graduates and adults interested in pursuing a career in healthcare.
MiCOACH develops and mentors recent high school graduates within identified school districts. These participants from MiCOACH program areas will receive training and support to enter the Community Health Worker (CHW) profession. Adults who reside in or attended school in an identified district are also eligible to be considered for MiCOACH training.
Individuals with accepted applications will be part of the newly developed Career Academy and will pursue a Community Health Worker certificate and a CHW Foundations in Behavioral Health micro-credential, leading to a career in behavioral healthcare. They will also be eligible to receive a $300 weekly stipend for successfully attending and completing the training.
MiCOACH helps underserved communities by increasing the number of workers in the behavioral healthcare field. MiCOACH participants will acquire knowledge, skills and expertise to respond to public health needs and public health emergencies in underserved communities. In addition, some MiCOACH participants may have the opportunity to be trained in a Registered Apprenticeship.
Are you caring? Respectful? Trustworthy? Are you able to work independently? If so, you may have what it takes to launch a successful community health career. To get started or to learn more, complete the online interest form and a MiCOACH partner will be in touch to assist you!
Although not licensed to practice as a fully qualified health care professional, a Community Health Worker plays a critical role as a frontline agent of change, working in association with the local health care system and helping to reduce health disparities in underserved communities.
CHWs often live in the community they serve and assist residents with connecting to information and resources to help them meet their physical health, mental health and social needs.
CHWs connect people with resources for food, transportation, housing, health information, health insurance, health screenings, and social support. The CHW professional often works under the supervision and direction of licensed, fully qualified healthcare professionals who are part of medical and mental healthcare organizations, primary care teams, or other community-based agencies.
CHW job titles include patient navigators, healthcare aides, peer support specialists, health education specialists, and many others.
Eligible MiCOACH participants will include those from medically underserved communities in the identified MiCOACH project areas (see table). New MiCOACH participants must be from one of the designated school district communities. Current certified Community Health Workers are eligible to be considered for the CHW Foundations of Behavioral Health micro-credential and may be from any area in Michigan.
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Michigan Works! Agencies |
School Partners |
MiCOACH Communities |
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Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works! |
Gratiot-Isabella Regional Education Service District, Saginaw Intermediate School District |
Isabella and Gratiot Counties and the City of Saginaw |
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Berrien, Cass, Van Buren Michigan Works!/Kinexus Group |
Berrien Regional Education Services Agency |
Benton Harbor |
|
GST Michigan Works! |
Genesee Intermediate School District |
Beecher, Carman-Ainsworth and Flint |
|
West Michigan Works! |
Muskegon Area Intermediate School District |
Muskegon County |
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SEMCA Michigan Works! |
Wayne Regional Education Service Agency |
Ecorse, Hamtramck and River Rouge |
MiCOACH participants will receive the basic Community Health Worker Certification program training and CHW Foundations in Behavioral Health micro-credential training. MiCOACH will improve the dissemination of health information, connection to mental health resources, and help support healthier school environments and communities. Minimum requirements to participate in MiCOACH:
Training is provided by the Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance (MiCHWA). MiCHWA is the CHW information hub for the state of Michigan. MiCHWA supports Community Health Worker education, training, and workforce needs. They also provide a statewide CHW membership registry and advocate for Community Health Workers across the state of Michigan.
The 12-week Community Health Worker virtual training program includes eight (8) weeks of basic CHW skills and four (4) weeks of behavioral healthcare training. A 40-hour internship during the 8-week CHW training is also required. The internship is mandatory in order to receive the CHW certification and must take place during the 8-week CHW course.
Participants who successfully complete the MiCOACH program will receive a Certified Community Health Worker (CCHW) credential approved by the State of Michigan, as well as a micro-credential in behavioral health.
Training includes interactive activities, group projects, individual presentations, communication skills practice, lectures and assessments.
Topics typically focus on core competencies relevant to Community Health Worker skills and roles:
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To get started, complete the online interest form and a MiCOACH partner will be in touch to assist you.
For more information, contact Sector Strategies at LEO-MiCOACH@michigan.gov.
The Michigan Career Opportunity Academy for Community Health program is designed to increase the number of Community Health Workers in the behavioral healthcare field. MiCOACH convenes a statewide network of partners in the community mental health industry to address the shortage of behavioral healthcare workers. In addition to the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Workforce Development (LEO-WD), MiCOACH includes Michigan Works! Agencies and school partners.
The MiCOACH grant project is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration’s Community Health Worker Training (CHWT) Program. MiCOACH is managed by LEO-WD’s Industry Engagement Division, Sector Strategies Section.
The goals of the CHWTP are to expand the public health workforce through the training of new Community Health Workers and to extend the knowledge and skills of current community health workers. The CHWTP is designed to increase access to care, improve public health emergency response, and to address the public health needs of underserved communities.
Check out the MiCOACH Promotional Toolkit to help in sharing this program with those who may find it useful. All components of this toolkit may be modified to suit your needs.
MiCOACH is a training opportunity. It is not a job offer or guarantee of employment after completion of the training. Completion of the MiCOACH application does not guarantee acceptance into the training program. Interested candidates will be assessed for eligibility upon review of application and an interview.
