Building CHWs for tomorrow
Patchwork Academy
AI-Enabled Community Health Worker Certification & Workforce Program.
Training community-rooted CHWs and connecting them with organizations that need them.
Patchwork Academy prepares Community Health Workers (CHWs) for careers serving California communities.
Our certification program combines core CHW competencies, behavioral health and care navigation skills, supervised field experience, AI literacy, and training in modern digital care systems. Through our Workforce Capacity partnerships, we also build relationships with community-based organizations, healthcare providers, and other employers to create pathways from training to meaningful CHW employment.
Building California’s CHW Workforce
California needs more skilled, culturally responsive Community Health Workers who understand the communities they serve and can navigate increasingly complex health and social-service systems.
Patchwork Academy is designed to help close that gap by building a workforce that is:
- Community-rooted and culturally responsive
- Prepared for behavioral health and community-based care
- Skilled in navigation, outreach, health education, and care coordination
- Comfortable using modern technology and responsible AI tools
- Connected to organizations seeking CHW talent
Our goal is not simply to train CHWs. We are building a pipeline from training to field experience to employment.
Workforce Capacity Partnerships
Training a strong workforce requires strong community partnerships. Patchwork Academy is developing a statewide network of organizations interested in hosting field experiences, hiring trained CHWs, and helping shape the future CHW workforce. Our network may include:
- Community-based organizations
- Behavioral health organizations
- FQHCs and community clinics
- Hospitals and healthcare systems
- Housing and homeless-services providers
- County and public-health programs
- Medi-Cal safety-net providers
- Workforce development organizations
- Colleges and educational institutions
- Faith-based organizations
Partner organizations can share their anticipated workforce needs, including desired skills, languages, lived experience, and community knowledge. As trained CHWs become available, Patchwork can help connect organizations with potential candidates in their region. Joining our network does not create an obligation to hire.
What Makes Our CHWs Different
Patchwork Academy graduates are prepared to work in community-based, healthcare, and behavioral health environments while using technology responsibly to strengthen—not replace—the human relationships at the center of CHW work.
Students are trained to:
- Navigate healthcare, behavioral health, and social-service systems
- Connect individuals with housing, food, transportation, benefits, and community resources
- Use motivational interviewing and culturally responsive engagement
- Support care coordination and client follow-up
- Document services clearly and consistently
- Use AI tools responsibly to support documentation and workflow efficiency
- Work within modern digital care environments
Training in Modern Care Systems
Students receive hands-on exposure to The Allensworth Operating System, helping them understand how technology can support coordinated community-based care. CHWs learn how digital systems can be used to:
- Track client needs and social determinants of health
- Support care plans and follow-up
- Coordinate across organizations and care teams
- Document client interactions
- Monitor progress and service outcomes
- Reduce unnecessary administrative burden
All technology training emphasizes HIPAA-conscious practices, responsible AI use, privacy, and human oversight.
Core Training Components:
1. Community Health Foundations
Behavioral health fundamentals, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, ethics, cultural humility, and culturally responsive engagement.
2. Navigation & Community Resources
Healthcare and social-service navigation, housing, food, transportation, benefits, resource linkage, and care coordination.
3. Documentation & Medi-Cal Readiness
Documentation, care planning, CHW service requirements, professional standards, and practical preparation for Medi-Cal-serving environments.
4. AI & Digital Care Skills
Responsible AI-assisted workflows, digital documentation, engagement tracking, and training in modern care coordination systems.
5. Field Experience
After completing 12 weeks of coursework, students complete a 40-hour field experience with a community organization to apply their skills in a real-world setting.
6. Workforce Readiness & Placement
Students receive career preparation and opportunities to connect with organizations in the Patchwork Partner Network seeking trained CHWs.
