Impact Report: Building a Community of Practice
Building a Community of Practice
Years of experience supporting our community through resource navigation led to the creation of our Care Model © Training and Supervisor Learning Cohort. Through these series, we share what we’ve learned with other organizations, equipping their teams with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to deliver exceptional navigation services and support staff effectively. Additionally, given that both training courses require people to step away from their daily work, we have ensured they are approved for continuing education credits for community health workers and social workers.
Our goal is simple: strengthen the teams doing this work so that communities receive the best possible care and access to resources, while offering practical skills to prevent burnout among people working in helping careers.
Since launching the training series, we’ve welcomed professionals from 37 organizations into a collaborative and supportive training environment. Together, we are building a growing community of practice dedicated to improving how organizations support individuals and families, as well as their staff.
Partnering with Organizations to Strengthen Impact
In 2024 and 2025, we collaborated with organizations across Michigan and the United States to meet their team’s training needs.
Community-Wide Investment in Early Childhood Network Training
As recipients of the voter-approved Ready by Five Early Childhood millage, our team received funding to support the 19 other organizations that also received funding to provide resources to families and young children with Care Model © training.
Customized Training and Learning Opportunities
- Participated in our Supervisor Learning Cohort and Care Model Training. Our team also facilitated customized training for staff and supervisors, including deeper learning on health equity, giving & receiving feedback, and performance management.
- Hosted three sessions of Health Equity 101 for a virtual audience of membership organizations spanning across the United States.
Michigan State Medical Society
- Our team facilitated Best Practices for Working with Interpreters for a virtual audience of membership organizations.
- Partnered with us for customized all-staff training on Secondary Trauma and Self-care to support the well-being of their team of resource navigators.
Licensing Agreements
Heart of West Michigan United Way, Family Stability Program
- Entered into a licensing agreement for the Care Model © Guidebook, helping their team expand and sustain Care Model © implementation.
- Facilitated Care Model © Training for member organizations and entered into a licensing agreement for Care Model © Guidebook to support agencies as they welcomed new staff.
- Entered into a licensing agreement for the Care Model © Training Curriculum
- Entered into licensing agreement for Care Model © Training Curriculum and Care Model © Guidebook to strengthen Care Model © implementation.
Investment in Supervisory Teams
Benzie Leelanau District Health Department, on behalf of Northern Michigan CHIR
- Six health departments, representing a 31-county region, participated in our Supervisor Learning Cohort in a virtual format, helping leaders build skills needed to support confident and effective teams.
Strengthening the Field Together
By sharing our Care Model © and training expertise, we are helping organizations strengthen their teams, improve service delivery, and better support the communities they serve. Each partnership expands a network of professionals committed to compassionate, effective navigation, ultimately improving access to care and resources for people across our region and beyond.
Quotes from Participants
“I liked how interactive the training was! I feel like in these trainings, it can be frustrating when a presenter is just reading off slides, and this presentation was not like that at all. Our presenter was engaged with the audience, answering questions, and had us doing different activities and discussions to keep us all engaged.” Legal Aid of Western Michigan
“This training has facilitated discussions that validate, support growth, and facilitate change within the workplace. As a supervisor, you often feel as if you are managing tasks, people, and responsibilities in a way that doesn’t allow you to feel as if you can grow or show up as your best self. This training gave a few moments to reflect on what that could be and how to improve the work we do.” Benzie Leelanau District Health Department
“I would recommend it because the training is very accessible to understand and a great way to implement the practices into everyday work life.” Family Futures
“I very much appreciated the clear, well-laid-out approach to providing feedback. Having actual steps makes it a much simpler and less daunting process.” Family Futures Supervisor Learning Cohort Participant
