Training & Outreach
The Training and Outreach team works closely with Navajo Nation tribal programs (termed 638 facilities) and Navajo Area Indian Health Services (IHS) throughout all eight service units of the Navajo Nation to integrate community health workers into health care delivery services and expand access to chronic disease outreach. Although COPE does not provide direct services to patients, we collaborate with more than 70 community health workers, 12 health facilities and hundreds of health providers.
The Training and Outreach Program focuses on adapting and/or developing locally, informed training and patient outreach materials, training of community health workers, and improved health care delivery through stronger coordination between clinical and community outreach teams and inter-professional collaboration.
COPE also facilitates trainings on Motivational Interviewing, which includes behavior change and goal setting; and Community Health Representative (CHR) Supervisor training which helps capitalize leadership and team building in order to achieve quality improvement.
COPE has been a strong advocate to ensure that the Navajo CHR/Outreach Program implementation of the referral process through the use of an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system is established. We recognize that the Public Health Nurse and CHR Collaboration within the EHR is very beneficial to the participating patients.
The training and outreach team has been working with New Mexico Department of Health to get all Navajo Nation CHRs certified as New Mexico Community Health Workers and continues this collaboration to support the CHR teams in maintaining their certification through the COPE trainings.
100% of Service Units on Navajo Nation participate in COPE trainings
86 Community Health Representatives have participated in the New Mexico CHW Certification program
40 Health Education Modules created or adapted incorporate Navajo Terminology
8/8 Service Units facilitate bi-directional referrals between CHRs & health facilities
90% of Head Start staff trained by COPE found the Color Me Healthy & Happy Homes trainings to increase their understanding of child nutrition
We are so proud to continue out training programs with the Community Health Representative workforce. Since 2010, we have been working with providers and local trainers to deliver standardized, high-quality training to Community Health Representatives throughout the Navajo Nation.
Arthur Lazarus Jr. CHW Training Program
COPE is very honored to partner with the Lazarus and Janowitz family to support advancement and professional development for Community Health Workers (CHWs), including broader health system support to improve access to cancer prevention, education, screening, and coordinated care.
Arthur Lazarus Jr. (1926–2019) was an attorney who spent his career fighting for restoration of Tribal sovereignty and compensation for lands taken from American Indian and Alaska Natives Nations. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at Columbia University and Yale Law School before joining Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson and moving to Washington, D.C., where he headed the Indian Law practice after the passing of his mentor Felix S. Cohen in 1953. His clients included the Blackfeet, Tuscarora, Seneca, Lakota, and Navajo Nations. The future first two directors of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian were among the Tribal citizens who honed their own craft at Fried, Frank. Later, Lazarus became Of Counsel at Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, & Endreson. He was married for 58 years to Gertrude “Gigi” Lazarus, who predeceased him, and is survived by three children and seven grandchildren, who sponsor this program in his memory and to continue Arthur Lazarus Jr.’s lifelong work.
We are deeply grateful to the Lazarus family – Andrew Lazarus, Naomi Janowitz, Noah Lazarus, Gideon Lazarus, Eddie Lazarus, and Diana Lazarus for making this vital work possible.
Happy Homes
The goal of Happy Homes is to improve child health on Navajo Nation. Happy Homes is an evidence-based program to help families start healthy habits with their pre-school aged kids. Caregivers and children learn together how to live healthier, happier lives. Changes focus on healthy eating, time spent in front of a TV or computer screen, physical activity, sleep time, gardening, and spending more time together as a family. At every meeting, families are introduced to new routines and healthy recipes to try together at home. Happy Homes is taught in 6 sessions once a month. This program has been adapted to Navajo Nation and includes information using Diné terminology. This curriculum is used in conjunction with the FVRx program.
Coming soon to Karigan Day Care
Color Me Healthy
Offered at Window Rock and Lupton. Coming soon to Chinle, Many Farms, St. Michael’s and Karigan Day Care.
The efforts described on this page are supported by grants to COPE 501(c)3 and grants to our partner organizations, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Partners In Health.