18th Annual Community Health Worker Conference

9 am to 9:08 am

Welcome: Vanessa Briggs, VP Corewell Health West Healthier Communities, Grand Rapids, Michigan

9:08 to 9:10 am

Housekeeping

9:10 am to 10:10 am

Keynote: Tressa Liba, LLMSW, MPA, CHW

CEO, Tressa Liba Consulting, LLC

Fill Your Cup First: The Healer’s Strategy for Changing Community Outcomes

10:10 am to 10:20 am

Transition to Workshop 1

10:20 am to 11:20 am – Session 1 Workshops

• Pouring From An Empty Cup – Alicia Young, MSW
• CHW Time Management: Getting the Most in our Visits – Leticia De La Paz, CHW, MBA
• Advancing Equity Through CHW Workforce Transformation – MiCHWA
• From the Ground Up: Building CHW Career Pathways and Community Hubs Rooted in Lived Experience and Advocacy – Steph Thornton, BSB, CCHW

11:20 am to 12:20 pm

Lunch

12:20 pm to 1:20 pm – Session 2 Workshops

• 'What is Privilege?' Experience – Denise Evans, MM, MA
• Policy Impacts Public Health – Effective Responses to Opioid Fatality – Red Project
• Youth and Trauma: Utilizing a Trauma-Informed Care Approach – Arbor Circle
• Katherine Williams

1:20 pm to 1:30 pm

Transition to General Session 2

1:30 pm to 2:05 pm

Keynote: Carlos Cubia, Chief Community Health Impact and Belonging Officer

The Heart of Community Health Impact: Unveiling the Power of Community Health Workers

2:05 pm to 2:30 pm

Break

2:30 pm to 2:50 pm

Presentation of the Mosley Team Award for Extraordinary Community Health Worker Service

2:50 pm to 3 pm

Thank You and Announcements

3 pm to 3:30 pm

Virtual Networking Break-Out Sessions

• Articulate the role and benefits of the CHW in the community
• Describe how collaboration with the interdisciplinary team improves health
• Define how education and teaching improves self-reliance
• Recognize the panoramic view CHWs give to health care and the community they serve

Do you know an Extraordinary CHW Services Team?

Nominate them today!

Submissions due by Friday, July 18, 2025.

Please let us know if you need special accommodations due to the conference being virtual. Formal requests were due May 19, 2025; however, if you still have a need, we will do our best to provide the accommodation.

Please email chweducation@corewellhealth.org with requests.

Vanessa Briggs, VP Corewell Health West Healthier Communities, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Fill Your Cup First: The Healer’s Strategy for Changing Community Outcomes

Presenter: Tressa Liba, LLMSW, MPA, CHW

Community Health Workers are the heart of change—but even the strongest hearts need rest. In this energizing, interactive keynote, licensed therapist Tressa Liba invites CHWs to hit pause, take a breath, and refill their cups. Blending humor, heart, and healing, together we tackle the real toll of frontline care, explores why self-renewal is essential (not optional), and offers mindful tools you can use for yourself and share with your clients. Changing the outcome of community health starts with caring for the one doing the work: You.

The Heart of Community Health Impact: Unveiling the Power of Community Health Workers

Presenter: Carlos Cubia, Chief Community Health Impact and Belonging Officer

This presentation explores the vital role community health workers (CHWs) play in strengthening the health and well-being of underserved populations. By serving as trusted liaisons between healthcare systems and local communities, CHWs provide culturally competent care, reduce barriers to access, and improve health outcomes. Through stories, data, and evidence-based insights, we’ll highlight the invaluable contributions CHWs make—from health education and chronic disease management to advocacy and social support. 

Presenter: Alicia Young, MSW

This presentation emphasizes the importance of self-care, networking, delegating tasks, assuming positive intent, embracing curiosity, and reflecting on personal values. It encourages CHWs to consider why they chose this profession and the significance of self-care in their roles. The lack of self-care, emotional exhaustion, low sense of accomplishment, and workplace stress can often lead to compassion fatigue, burnout, and increased turnover rates, which not only affects the well-being of CHWs but also compromises the quality of care provided to the communities they serve.

Presenters: Leticia De La Paz, Parent Coach, Certified CHW, MBA

Time management during each visit we make as Community Health Workers has always been one of the best strategies for providing quality and excellent service to our families. Being prepared for any eventuality, being able to handle various situations, and having the resources available make each visit positive and effective, and that's what we'll be discussing today.

Preparing ourselves, reducing stress, providing quality service, and increasing our productivity are some of the topics that will help us get the most out of each visit, without losing professionalism or forgetting the purpose of our visit.

Presenters: Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance Executive (MiCHWA) Director Kareem J. Baig with MiCHWA Staff

The 2025 “State of MiCHWA” address will highlight strategic innovations and organizational milestones that have reshaped CHW training, credentialing, policy, and advocacy since 2024. Rooted in equity and workforce empowerment, MiCHWA will share lessons learned, data-driven outcomes, and key findings from our educational programs, employer surveys, and other evaluations. It will also explore how MiCHWA’s governance reforms, fundraising diversification, and staffing growth have increased organizational resilience. The address will invite critical dialogue around the challenges and opportunities facing CHWs today and will elevate the role of CHWs as essential public health professionals.

Participants will leave with actionable insights into workforce development, community engagement, and systems change strategies that center CHWs in building healthier, more equitable communities.

Presenter: Steph Thornton, BSB, CCHW

This session explores how Community Health Workers can build power and sustainability through intentional career pathways and community-rooted hubs. Grounded in lived experience and advocacy. Real-world frameworks will be shared for recruiting, developing, and elevating CHWs beyond frontline work into roles as educators, mentors, and policy advocates. This presentation focuses on structural change concerning self-care. It demonstrates how to equip Community Health Workers (CHWs) with the necessary tools and networks to thrive in the workforce and transform their communities.

Presenter: Denise Evans, MM, MA

Participants of this workshop will be able to:

• Define privilege and identify areas of privilege in our own lives (level set)
• Discuss the ways that we can/may have both privilege and oppression simultaneously (intersectionality)
• Examine the false hierarchy of human value perpetuated in US culture and how it can impact the way that we treat patients (implicit bias)
• Practice discussing and listening to others as we examine our identities together (constructivist listening)

Presenters: Stephen Alsum and Catherine Kelly

Participants of this workshop will be able to:

• Recognize how our policy environment impacts evidence-based programming people who use opioids have access to
• Identify evidence-based interventions for preventing fatality from opioid use
• Articulate impacts of criminalization of opioids on people who use them
• Prioritize next steps for local practice and advocacy

Presenters: Lindsay Gomez, LMSW and Andrew Carrell, LMSW

This training introduces participants to the principles of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) with a focus on working with youth. Attendees will gain a foundational understanding of what trauma is and learn to recognize signs and symptoms of trauma in young people. The session will explore the impact of trauma on development and behavior, while offering practical strategies for implementing trauma-informed approaches within professional settings. Whether you work in education, healthcare, social services, or youth programming, this training will equip you with the tools to create safe, empowering environments that promote healing and resilience.

Presenter: Katherine Williams

Establishing a strong foundation, knowing and being comfortable with the tools at your disposal, and leveraging your skillsets to effectively address the health needs of the community, even when clear answers are not always available.