C3w+ serves rural communities by providing training and credentials to upskill current and potential workers, help rural health organizations, address workforce shortages, and bolster digital literacy and security by focusing on the development of health technology, community paramedicine, and community health workers.

Rural Florida needs a flexible, strong workforce that can meet the demands of the COVID-affected environment. This environment is one that requires:

1. Greater use of technology, which results in an increased need for skilled tech workforce.
2. Increased non-emergency community health workforce (e.g. community paramedicine, CHWs) to help get people to social resources and navigate the healthcare system cost-effectively.

Through Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network Program, CommHIT received a federal grant to address these very needs with key experts and rural safety net facilities across Florida.

A new network was created among health-related rural Florida organizations (employers) to complete the Community Connected Care Workforce (C3w+) Program. Because the network addresses the needs of rural safety net facilities as well as EMS agencies, it is bifurcated into “zones”:  

1. Tech Zone (primarily for Florida hospitals and other safety net facilities and organizations)  
2. Community Paramedicine (CP) Zone for rural EMS agencies. 

The two zones of the network are primarily comprised of rural and critical access hospitals, EMS agencies, rural health networks (RHNs), FLDoH Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight, and Florida Community Health Worker Coalition (FLCHWC) to develop CP training and programs, bolster digital security of participating organizations, and train CHWs. The overarching goal of the C3w+ Network (Tech Zone + CP Zone) is to create a strong, flexible tech and health infrastructure trained and prepared for day-to-day and emergency needs of rural communities. 

Specifically, the five goals of this network are: 

Goal 1 (Tech Zone): Train IT and clinical staff on HHS 405(d) Cybersecurity Approaches. 

Goal 2 (CP Zone): Leverage formal partnerships with the FLORH, FLDoH Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight, FLCHWC, and Florida’s regional RHNs to train CHWs in telehealth/remote monitoring or community paramedicine-mobile integrated health (CP-MIH) for Florida’s 29 rural counties and other rural areas. 

Goal 3 (CP Zone): Develop and register CP-MIH apprentice occupation and pre-apprenticeship training under CommHIT’s Technology and Health Apprenticeship Program (THAP) [Florida registration GNJ (2022-FL-111571)] for Florida’s 29 rural counties. 

Goal 4 (Tech Zone and CP Zone): Support relevant Apprenticeship Programs.

Goal 5 (Tech Zone and CP Zone): Increase the diversity and inclusion of targeted training tracks to aid in providing health equity. 

FREE to eligible participants, trainings provided through this grant include:

• Florida Board-Certified CHW core courses (20 hours) and elective courses (10 hours) and the CHW exam. Assistance with application to take the CHW exam and become a certified CHW and CHW exam are provided in conjunction with the Florida CHW Coalition. The core courses are 40% technology-related and teach CHWs how to help their clients with digital literacy for healthcare purposes (e.g., telehealth, patient portal, and remote monitoring use) and all other life needs (e.g., finances, surfing the web, socializing), safely and securely.
• Certified Community Paramedicine training
• U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 405(d) Cybersecurity Knowledge on Demand
• Telehealth training for day-to-day and in emergency use
• CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+
• Professional Association of Health Care Office Management Health Information Technology Certified Manager-Physician Practice (HITCM-PP)
• Other trainings related to telehealth, CHWs, CP-MIH, and cybersecurity

Most of the trainings are asynchronous online, meaning that you can take them on your own time.

With the Florida Association of Emergency Medical Services Educators (FAEMSE) and the Florida Association Rural Emergency Medical Services (FAREMS), CommHIT is working on Florida’s first Community Paramedicine-Mobile Integrated Health Apprenticeship Program.

Contact Andy Post, MA, the C3w+ Program Director for next steps. Trainings are first come, first serve. If you aren’t eligible for C3w+, Andy will see if you are eligible for another program. CommHIT does its best to place EVERYONE. If you are employed by a health organization, you will need to let Andy know. Your employer will need to sign the proper documentation in order for you to take a training. If you’re working at a hospital or an EMS agency, there is a good chance that your organization has already signed up with us, but we have to make sure!