Community Health Worker

Certification Training

Make a Difference Where It Matters Most

Join our interactive Community Health Worker (CHW) training and become a trusted advocate for health and equity. Learn how to support individuals, families, and communities through education, connection, and care.

When is the next session?

Learn How You Can Help Your Community Members

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are trusted advocates who work across diverse settings to break down barriers to care, address systemic inequities, and support the health and well-being of our most vulnerable communities.

What Do Community Health Workers Do?

Promote wellness by helping people adopt healthy behaviors and make informed health decisions.
Serve as a vital link between the community and health/social services, ensuring that everyone—especially those in underserved or marginalized populations—can access the care and support they need.
Build trust, dispel misinformation, and connect people to critical health services, particularly in communities of color, rural areas, and other settings where barriers to care are greatest.
Increase health knowledge and self-sufficiency through outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy.
Improve health outcomes by supporting chronic disease management, reducing hospital readmissions, and promoting mental health and preventive care.

Become a Certified Community Health Worker (CHW)

NEON is dedicated to equipping the next generation of community health workers with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to make a real difference. Our online training program:

Prepares individuals to serve as frontline public health workers and community health advocates.
Covers essential topics such as health education, chronic disease management, mental health, motivational interviewing, communication and counseling skills, and community-based health initiatives.
Foster critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills through interactive, engaging modules and real-world scenarios.
Supports participants using the principles and practices of popular education, shared learning experiences, and opportunities to apply their learning in group work sessions using real-world scenarios.

Upon completion, participants will qualify for certification as a Community Health Worker and 90 Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) from the Office of Equity and Inclusion at the State of Oregon. NEON CHW CEUs are reciprocal to MHACBO credits.

Join Us in Empowering Communities

By training community health workers, we’re investing in healthier futures for all. Whether you’re looking to start a new career, expand your skills, or make a lasting impact, our programs provide the foundation to become a catalyst for community well-being.

Become a community health worker and help transform lives—one connection at a time.

Course Topics

Introduction to the Training Series
Introduction to the CHW profession
Introduction to Popular Education
Social Determinants of Health

Introduction to Community Organizing
Working with Multi-Disciplinary Teams and Service Coordination and Collaboration
Access to Health Care
Counseling Skills

Trauma Informed Care and Self-Care
Public Health and Community Assessment
Cross-Cultural skills
Disease processes Day 1
Disease processes Day 2
Communication Skills

Leadership and Advocacy
Assessment and Documentation
Mental Health Promotion
Outreach Skills
Addiction and Recovery
Healthy Lifestyle-Nutrition and Physical Activity

For questions about our Community Health Worker Training curriculum, contact Edna Murrieta at [email protected].

Meet the Trainers

Picutre of Edna Murrieta, Training Manager

Edna Murrieta, B.S., M.Ed. Admin., CHW

Edna is the Training Program Manager at NEON. She has worked in higher education, supporting students from marginalized communities to achieve success in higher education. She holds a B.S. in Public Administration from California State University, Chico, and a Masters in Higher Education and Administration from Southern Illinois, Carbondale. She is a valuable asset and advocate in NEON’s efforts to address diversity, equity, and inclusion, both internally and in the services we provide.

Picture of Cami Miller, Training Coordinator

Cami Miller, PSS, CHW

Cami Miller is the Training Coordinator at NEON. She is a Community Health Worker, Certified Recovery Mentor, and Peer Support Specialist. In addition to working in the addiction field, she has worked with the child and maternal health population and with the houseless population. Cami is enthusiastic and dedicated to deepening her understanding of motivational interviewing. She is currently fine-tuning her skills to better train folks as they support others in making meaningful changes.

Connie Sherrard, MSW, CHW

Connie holds a B.A. in Studio Art and certification in Elementary Education from Beloit College and a Master of Social Work with an emphasis in Planning, Administration and Management from Portland State University. Connie was the Training Manager at NEON for 6 years and now works with NEON as a contract trainer. Connie has worked in a variety of nonprofit and public settings dedicated to serving vulnerable populations and spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, where she learned the concepts and methods of popular education that she uses in her work with NEON.

Emily Hurd, B.A., CHW

Emily is the Pathways Hub Coordinator at NEON and has a background in social services, where she has provided advocacy, facilitated resource connections, and offered administrative support. She holds a Bachelors in Anthropology/Sociology with an emphasis in Social Welfare. Her expertise extends to delivering systems training and providing technical assistance to partners who utilize the Pathways Hub. She assists with facilitating Community Health Worker Certification training sessions alongside the NEON Training team.

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER CERTIFICATION TRAINING

NEXT SESSION STARTING JANUARY 2026
Cost: $1,500 per participant

For questions about groups, custom cohorts, or to be added to our wait/cancellation list, contact Kinda Cable at [email protected].

*A camera and a microphone are required to attend this training.

What our participants are saying...

I am grateful for this training and for my future as a CHW. I feel part of the NEON family and feel I can always reach out to them for any support needed in the future.

-Kelly Davis

You two, and your team, are amazing. Thank you for putting this all together in a way that was fun and informative!

-Charmaine Martinez

You guys are truthfully appreciated for all the effort and time that has gone into your process of creating a well rounded, involved, and interactive environment.

-Lindsay Freeland

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NEON is a connector, innovator, and expert resource

Our mission is to support individuals, communities, and systems to collectively promote equity, health, and well-being at home and beyond. We are connectors, innovators, and experts. We connect people and organizations to one another and to resources they need to meet their goals. Since 2012 we have been training traditional health workers and other front-line staff in behavioral health, social services, and other settings in the knowledge and skills necessary to provide quality service, maintain professional boundaries, and practice self-care.

Our History

NEON is a 501(c)3 nonprofit health collaborative originally serving Union, Wallowa, and Baker counties in Northeast Oregon and recently expanded into Umatilla and Malheur counties. NEON launched in 2004 from a small group of individuals who recognized the value of community collaboration in ensuring the health of our residents.