⚠️
COVID-19 Updates for OJC Campus
Skip Main Navigation
Menu
Quick links
My OJC
Directory
A-Z Index
Contact
Search
Submit
Otero Junior College
Navigation
About OJC
Future Students
Current Students
Academics
Athletics
News & Events
Alumni
Quick links
My OJC
Directory
A-Z Index
Contact
Breadcrumb navigation
Home
About OJC
News and Events
OJC Press Releases
Press Detail
Skip Navigation
About OJC
Section Navigation
OJC at a Glance
Mission Statement
OJC History
OJC Tour Videos
Rattler TV
OJC Visitation Request
Accreditation
OJC Assessment
Office of the President
President's Welcome
Advisory Council
Staff by Department
Staff Directory Lookup
News and Events
OJC Press Releases
OJC Events
Campus Calendar
Academic Calendar
Campus Info
Driving Directions
Campus Map
Dining Services
Campus Facilities
Fitness Center
Bookstore - Textbooks Online
Apparel & Accessories
Dance Studio
Koshare Kiva
SCORE Center
Community
Employment at OJC
Student Employment
OJC Publications
Catalog
Student Handbook
Housing Handbook
Chinook
Alumni & Foundation
About the Foundation
Ways to Give
President's Leadership Program
OJC Alumni
OJC Online Catalog
Facts and Policies
Vaccination Policies
COVID Information & Resources
Emergency Preparedness
Security and Safety
OJC Press Release ID:
2581
Monday, October 24, 2016
OJC leads the way in educating health/patient navigators
Otero Junior College’s vision is to provide superior educational opportunities and be a valued partner with the communities we serve. The Health Navigator program is a specific example of how it does just that. OJC boasts the state’s first associate degree in health navigation and a potential career pathway that extends from community health worker to health navigator to a master’s degree in public health.
A health navigator is someone who guides individuals and families through the complex health care system to take advantage of services appropriate and available to them, largely through the Affordable Care Act. Their duties include linking patients with services, providing information and resources, helping providers interact with patients, and offering health education and promoting healthy behaviors.
Health navigators work in hospitals, community health centers, private practices and other agencies, assisting individuals across the continuum of care, from prevention to end of life. The demand for trained health navigators is growling because they have been shown to increase the quality and reduce the cost of care for patients in rural and other underserved areas.
OJC continues to build this program with the support of a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Prevention Services Division (PSD) grant. The program has been modified to be delivered in two formats: a classroom face-to-face version and distance learning option which allows students to access the program including faculty support from home, wherever they live.
“Otero County educators are helping transform health care in Colorado by training a growing workforce of patient navigators to help underserved populations in reducing and eliminating barriers to health care access and in negotiating complex health delivery systems,” said Pat Uris, who heads the Patient Navigator Workforce Initiative.
“They’re drawing support from local health plans, interest from students across Colorado and recognition form the state’s community college system for their outstanding program.”
In mid-September, OJC Health Navigator faculty Kaysie Schmidt and Ron Striegel were invited to present at “Unifying Industry, Education and Health/Patient Navigators,” an invitational meeting co-sponsored by the Colorado Community College System and CDPHE. The summit examined the role of community colleges in patient navigator training and the feasibility of a career pathway leading to a bachelor’s degree in public health.
“Making Colorado the healthiest state in the nation means eliminating health disparities,” said Uris. “Health navigators like those trained at Otero Junior College can help us do that.”
For more information on the Health Navigator program at OJC, contact Kaysie Schmidt at 719-384-6854 or Kaysie.Schmidt@ojc.edu
A health navigator is someone who guides individuals and families through the complex health care system to take advantage of services appropriate and available to them, largely through the Affordable Care Act. OJC’s program is leading the way in developing individuals to work in this important field.
©