Introduction to Outreach Methods and Strategies
How can community health workers create effective outreach plans that address the needs of vulnerable populations?
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Course Information
- Format: Self-paced
- Price: Free
- Length: 1 hour
- Credential(s) eligible for contact hours: Sponsored by New England Public Health Training Center (NEPHTC), a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES) to receive up to 1 total Category I continuing education contact hours. Maximum advanced-level continuing education contact hours are 1. Provider ID: 1131137 Event ID: SS1131137_IOMS.
If you are not seeking CHES/MCHES contact hours, if you complete the evaluation, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. The Certificate will include the length of the course. - Competencies: Communication Skills
- Learning Level: Awareness
- Supplemental materials:
- Pre-requisites: None
- Technical Requirements: This training was created with Articulate Storyline. Please refer to the Articulate 360 System Specifications to ensure your system meets the minimum requirements for viewing.
About this course
Every day, Community Health Workers build bridges between people and the care, services, and support they need. In this course, you’ll explore what outreach really means, who it’s designed to reach, and how to choose the right strategies for different situations. We’ll also walk through the National Outreach Guidelines for Underserved Populations, practical safety tips, and simple tools you can use to plan and evaluate your own outreach activities.
What you'll learn
After completing this course, you will be able to...
- Define “health outreach” and describe the key components of the Community Health Outreach Model
- Identify vulnerable and underserved populations and recognize common signals that prompt outreach
- Build trust with community members by practicing cultural humility, maintaining self-awareness of personal biases, and showing respect for varying experiences and perspectives
- Demonstrate safety awareness and professional boundaries when planning and conducting outreach in community and field settings
- Develop an effective outreach plan
This course had been updated by WePair Health as of 2026. WePair Health is the first AI-enabled career marketplace, built by and for Community Health Workers and Doulas.
Subject Matter Expert
Dawn Heffernan, RN, MS, CDEDirector,
Western Massachusetts
Public Health Training Center
Enrollment and Contact Hours
Note there are two different options for enrolling in this course highlighted in the table below.
The Certificate of Completion will include the length of the module. Generally 50 – 60 minutes is equivalent to 1 contact hour. Contact hours may be applicable towards continuing education requirements for certain credentials. Check with your credentialing body to verify if the topic meets its continuing education requirements.
Having trouble accessing the course? Contact support@nephtc.org
Acknowledgement:
This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP27877 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program”. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.