HealthVisions Midwest of Hammond | Health Visions Midwest

HEART Program

The HEART (Healthy Eating/Active Living/Reduce Stress/Test your Numbers) Program promotes making healthy lifestyle changes, self-monitoring blood pressure, and weight to improve cardiovascular health. Community Health Workers provide a variety of education topics aimed at increasing the program participants’ knowledge of cardiovascular health. Participants are encouraged to practice multiple self-management skills such as increasing the number of fruits and vegetables consumed per day, increasing the amount of physical activity per week, practicing stress management three or more times per week, and keeping track of their blood pressure and weight.

Community Health Workers offer an Eating Smart, Being Active (ESBA) 6-week course at no cost to participants that includes the topics of: Get Moving!, Plan, Shop, $ave, Fruit & Veggies: Half Your Plate, Make Half Your Grains Whole, Go Lean with Protein, Build Strong Bones, and Make A Change.

Community Health Workers serve as health coaches with program participants in developing an individualized care plan to implement the healthy lifestyle changes.

Primary funding for the HEART program is provided by a grant from the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation’s Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM Next Generation program.

Community Health Worker Training

Certified Community Health Worker (CCHW) training prepares dedicated individuals to serve as community advocates with health organizations and/or social services systems. Training consists of a 45-hour hybrid online self-study and virtual facilitator-led curriculum that focuses on roles, skills, and competencies of a successful Community Health Worker. Participants learn to assess individual and community health care needs, make referrals to appropriate service providers and implement programs that promote, maintain, and improve both individual and community health. Upon completion of classroom training, participants can receive State certification from Indiana Community Health Workers Association (INCHWA) after passing the certification exam.