Pictured (L-R): Lisa Silverman, Carmen Galloway, Shawn Griffin, Chris James
Byline/Author: Lisa Silverman, URAC Education Specialist
Image credit: ©Thomas Jefferson University Photography Services
When Jefferson Health celebrated becoming the first organization to earn URAC’s Community Health Worker Program (CHWP) accreditation, you could feel the sense of pride for the city of Philadelphia and the important work done by the community health workers (CHWs) in the room.
As URAC’s client educator and a proud third-generation Philadelphia native, it was my honor to join URAC’s President and CEO, Dr. Shawn Griffin and CHWP Accreditation Reviewer, Carmen Galloway this past Monday in Philadelphia to present the Certificate of Accreditation to Jefferson Health and to celebrate the effort that went in to developing a strong CHW program and then demonstrating the strength of their program by earning URAC’s CHWP Accreditation.
Dr. Chris James, Director of Jefferson Health’s Community Health Worker Collective said during her remarks, “CHWs are the people who have the relationships in their communities. They give the gifts of listening and validating experience. They recognize the barriers to care that exist and then they do everything in their power to bridge those gaps in care with dignity and respect. And they do it with the next person, and the next person, and the next person, day in and day out.” Beyond the URAC accreditation, the morning’s events also celebrated the many CHWs who do important work in the greater Philadelphia area in the communities where they live and work.
And, as Dr. James said, this accreditation now holds Jefferson Health accountable to their CHWs. URAC’s CHWP accreditation looks at how CHWs are hired, trained, evaluated and promoted and that their demographics match the communities they serve. As Jefferson Health CHW Chantal Sumpter said during her own remarks, “This certificate is not the finish line but rather a milestone. It encourages us to keep working, to keep improving and to use what we’ve learned to continue to make a positive impact moving forward.”
I can’t wait to watch Jefferson Health serve as a role model for other organizations going through URAC’s CHWP Accreditation and celebrating what I’m sure will be many more successes with them along the way.
Associated Resources
- Jefferson is First Organization to Earn URAC CHWP Accreditation: Press Release
- Learn more about URAC’s Community Health Worker Program Accreditation here
