Northwest Technical College in Bemidji will gather dozens of community health workers from across Minnesota Sept. 28 for the 3rd Annual Rural Community Health Worker Conference.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

The one-day conference will be held at Bemidji’s Hampton Inn and Suites, located at 1019 Paul Bunyan Drive NE. Registration is open now at the $25 early-bird rate, which increases to $35 beginning Sept. 7. Registration includes conference materials and lunch, and a six-hour continuing education certificate is available for an additional $25. The Hampton Inn is offering rooms at a conference rate through Sept. 7.

The conference is intended for employers and potential employers of community health workers, and to provide community health workers with opportunities to network with colleagues and learn strategies for advocating for their own roles in the health care system, at work and in their communities.

The conference is made possible by support from the Minnesota Department of Health, Sanford Health and the Northern Dental Access Center.

2018 CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

• Alicia Carley, Northwest Technical College; Kathryn Gonzalez, Northwoods Caregivers; and Georgia Lane, Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging; “Linking CHWs to Gerontology”
• Sara Citrine and Sara Brubaker, Kiesler Wellness Center, “CHWs in Mental Health”
• William Dicks, M.D. (Sanford Health); “The Benefits of a CHW: A Physician’s Perspective”
• Megan Ellingson, CHW Solutions, and Melissa Baily, Dakota County Public Health, Panel: “Billing for CHW Services”
• Jody Lien, Otter Tail County Public Health; Connie Norman, Sanford Health; and Dai Vu, Minnesota Department of Health, “Becoming a CHW Internship Site”
• Jeff Lindseth, Sanford Health, and Deb Hernandez, Rural AIDS Action Network, “CHWs Working in Addiction”
• Joy Rivera, American Indian Cancer Foundation, “CHWs Partnering to Reach American Indians”
• Will Wilson, Minnesota Department of Health, “CHW programs in Minnesota: Current Status and Opportunities”

Calendar

Sept. 28 – 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. —Northwest Technical College hosts 2nd Annual Rural Community Health Worker Conference. A conference for employers and potential employers of community health workers, and for working CHWs to learn new skills and network with colleagues. Location: Bemidji Eagles Club, 1270 Neilson Ave SE, Bemidji. Admission: $15 until Sept. 5, $25 beginning Sept. 6. Additional $25 for Continuing Education Unit certificate. Contact: Wendy Potratz, instructor, Northwest Technical College, (218) 333-6648, wendy.potratz@ntcmn.edu.

Contacts

• Wendy Potratz, instructor, NTC Community Health Worker program; (218) 333-6648, wendy.potratz@ntcmn.edu

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Northwest Technical College, located in northern Minnesota’s lake district, is an open, inviting technological learning organization. For more than 40 years, the college has valued life-long learning and the worth and dignity of all people. The college serves 900 students with a high-quality education, an open-enrollment policy and affordable tuition. NTC offers nearly 60 degree, diploma and certificate programs in areas such as business, health, human and protective services and environmental and industrial technology. Classes are offered on the Bemidji campus, online, or as a combination of both. NTC is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities. For more, visit ntcmn.edu.