New Jersey's Colette Lamothe-Galette Community Health Worker Institute provides free training leading to a completion certificate. Program leaders should distinguish that workforce pathway from participation in an approved NJ FamilyCare pilot or grant. This guide explains the current training structure, funding context and practical records needed to manage CHW services. [1,2,3]
New Jersey CHW quick facts
| Topic | New Jersey guidance |
|---|---|
| State training institute | Colette Lamothe-Galette CHW Institute, New Jersey Department of Health. [1,2] |
| Eligibility | Age 18 or older and high school diploma or GED for the described program. [1] |
| Course structure | Eight- or seventeen-week format; 130 classroom hours. [1] |
| Additional components | Eight required supplemental sessions and 240 on-the-job training hours. [1] |
| Award | Certificate of Completion. [1] |
| Tuition | Institute describes training as free. [1] |
| Enrollment | Registration followed by a required information session and enrollment instructions. [1] |
| NJ FamilyCare | January 2026 contract describes elective, approved CHW pilots. [3] |
| Rural grant context | 2026 rural CHW RFA has specific staffing, training and reporting conditions. [4] |
| Last reviewed | November 6, 2026 |
For program leaders
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What does a CHW do in New Jersey?
NJDOH describes CHWs as trusted community members who connect people with healthcare and essential resources. Education, navigation, culturally responsive support and attention to barriers such as food or housing needs are part of the role. [1]
An employer should turn that broad description into a clear assignment. Identify the community served, languages, service area, partners, supervisor and escalation process. A CHW's relationship with the community should remain central when the organization adds formal reporting expectations.
What is the Colette Lamothe-Galette CHW Institute?
NJDOH established the institute through a New Jersey Department of Labor apprenticeship program to strengthen the CHW workforce. Its resources connect training with career development and the organizations that employ CHWs. [2]
For a learner, identify the actual cohort and academic partner. For an employer, clarify how the institute's learning requirements connect with the worker's duties and workplace support. A program name alone does not answer which credential or employment arrangement will result.
How do you enter the CLG training program?
The current institute page lists age 18 or older and a high school diploma or GED. Applicants register, attend a required virtual information session and receive further enrollment instructions from the institute. [1]
Use the information session to confirm readiness, schedule, technical needs, fieldwork and completion expectations. Registration is the beginning of the process, rather than a promise that a particular cohort has an available seat.
How long is the training?
The current institute description lists eight- or seventeen-week formats, 130 classroom hours, eight required supplemental sessions and 240 on-the-job training hours. Participating community college partners provide the classroom component. [1]
The 130 classroom hours do not include all of the published learning components. The eight supplemental sessions and 240 on-the-job hours also need a place in the learner’s schedule. The institute says classroom learning is delivered through participating community-college partners and covers 13 core competencies. Do not multiply the eight sessions by an invented session length or promise completion after classroom attendance alone. NJDOH training structure.
Before accepting a cohort place, ask when fieldwork starts, whether it can occur with a current employer, who confirms learning and what happens if a placement is interrupted. A practical employer plan identifies paid work time, educational time, travel and supervision separately. These are planning questions, rather than statewide guarantees of paid placement or a particular wage.
What does the completion certificate establish?
The institute calls its award a Certificate of Completion. Keep it with the exact provider, program and completion date. Do not describe the course award as a separate professional license or automatic Medicaid enrollment. [1]
An employer's tracker should distinguish a learner in progress, a completed course, a hired worker and a worker assigned to a particular funded program. Those statuses may change at different times and should not be collapsed into one checkbox.
Is CLG training free?
NJDOH describes the institute's training as free. That statement should not be converted into a guarantee of paid work, a stipend, travel support or a job placement. Confirm any additional support directly for the current cohort. [1]
Employers should budget for learning time, supervision and the practical conditions of fieldwork. State in writing who pays for devices, travel and other participation costs if they are needed.
How should employers support on-the-job learning?
Identify a supervisor and meaningful learning activities before the trainee begins. Agree on scheduling, observation, supported practice, feedback and evidence of completion. Follow the institute's current instructions for the placement.
Separate training records from ordinary payroll totals. A person can work scheduled hours without completing every required learning activity. Protect participant information and use an appropriate review process when trainee work becomes part of a care record.
How do NJ FamilyCare CHW pilots work?
Section 11.3 of the January 2026 MCO contract describes an elective CHW pilot program proposed and administered by a participating contractor. A pilot needs final state and CMS approval before implementation; relevant subcontractors also require the specified readiness review. [3]
This is different from a universal statewide fee-for-service entitlement for every CHW encounter. Before joining a pilot, obtain the approved scope, target population, participating organization, payment arrangement and reporting expectations.
What should organizations confirm about pilot funding?
NJDOH's sustainability overview describes CHW pilots intended to support targeted services without duplicate funding. It explains the connection with the state's section 1115 demonstration and MCO proposals. [2]
NJDOH’s overview describes a statewide annual expenditure limit of $5 million per demonstration year and targeted services not otherwise covered under the managed-care contract, without duplicate funding. That is a pilot framework, not an award to each organization or a fee for every contact. The overview was last reviewed in April 2024, so use the current approved pilot and contract to establish present participation. NJDOH sustainability overview.
A community organization should obtain the approved pilot name, participating MCO, eligible population, partner agreement, effective dates, payment method and reporting definitions. Ask how to document work that already belongs to another benefit or grant. A general demonstration authorization does not prove every plan has launched an identical service.
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What does the 2026 rural CHW grant add?
NJDOH's Rural Health Transformation CHW RFA sets program-specific conditions, including CLG training for CHW positions, evidence of prior completion where applicable and performance and expenditure reporting. The document listed an April 15, 2026 application deadline. [4]
The RFA’s first stated project period was May 1 through October 30, 2026, with estimated final reporting dates in November. Those dates describe the cited round. They do not establish a current open application window or permission to spend beyond an organization’s award. Use any approved extension or revised schedule in writing. 2026 RFA, project period and reporting sections.
For an awarded program, monthly expenditure reports and quarterly progress reports are separate obligations. The RFA requests staffing details such as name, title, effort and salary, supporting expenditure documentation and approval for relevant changes. Keep the approved budget, actual staff effort, service reporting and fiscal submission together so the program can explain how its costs support the awarded work. 2026 RFA, pages 9 to 15.
What should a rural or pilot program record before services begin?
Create a short implementation record covering the agreement, eligible population, geography, staff qualifications, supervision, activities, reporting period and payment method. Assign an owner for each unresolved question.
When a worker supports participants under several arrangements, preserve the actual attribution of the work. Do not automatically count the same contact toward multiple funding streams or treat a grant expense as a separate payable claim.
What should New Jersey CHW documentation include?
As a practical starting point, capture the participant's goal, barrier, support delivered, response and next action. Include date, worker, contact method, referral destination and follow-up owner. Add time, consent or review fields where the specific agreement requires them.
For a housing connection, distinguish an offered referral from an accepted application, waitlist or confirmed placement. Preserve the participant's choice and the remaining need. A task completed by staff may still leave the participant waiting for help.
How should supervisors manage partner handoffs?
Agree on who receives a referral, how acceptance becomes visible and who checks the outcome. A directory can identify potential resources, while the individual record should show the actual handoff and response.
Review failed contacts and capacity limits. Repeatedly sending a participant to a full program is different from helping identify an alternative. Reports should preserve those barriers so program leaders can improve partnerships.
What should New Jersey CHW software demonstrate?
Use a fictional worker completing CLG training and a participant receiving support under a specific agreement. Test qualifications, assignments, notes, referrals, supervisor review and reporting as a connected workflow.
Explore community health workflows with Smores Health using your pilot or grant report. Ask to see current capabilities, configuration and gaps. Claims submission is not live in Smores Health, and a software account should not imply pilot approval.
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Bring your forms and reporting needs. See how Smores Health connects service notes, supervisor review, and program reporting in a walkthrough focused on your team.
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Which reports help program leaders and funders?
Separate workers trained, active staff, participants, contacts, referrals and confirmed outcomes. Use the actual funding agreement's definitions, reporting period and supporting evidence.
The cited rural RFA includes targets for screening, receipt of CHW services and addressing identified needs. These are grant-specific measures, not universal rules for every New Jersey CHW program or proof of an individual program’s results. Use the awarded definitions and denominators when reporting performance. 2026 rural RFA, performance measures.
For a fictional program, a person can be screened, accept CHW support and still be waiting for a housing resource. The screening, service and resolved-need measures should show those different stages. Trace each reported total to the supporting records and preserve an unresolved need when a referral has not produced help. Compare fiscal and service reports without assuming every recorded contact directly determines payment.
Frequently asked questions
What award does CLG training provide?
The institute describes a Certificate of Completion. [1]
Does training guarantee an NJ FamilyCare billing right?
No. Payer and program participation are separate from course completion.
Are CHW pilots mandatory for every MCO?
The January 2026 contract describes the pilot as elective and subject to approval. [3]
Is the rural grant permanently open?
No. The cited 2026 RFA had a specified deadline and conditions. Confirm any later opportunity separately. [4]
What should a New Jersey CHW software demo include?
Ask for workforce evidence, a participant contact, a partner handoff and a report traced to its records.
Connect New Jersey CHW training with reliable participant follow-up
Bring a workforce checklist, blank note and one pilot or grant report to Smores Health. Book a program walkthrough to evaluate documentation and referrals for your New Jersey team. Request pricing for a clear implementation scope.
Sources
[1] NJDOH, CLG CHW Institute, reviewed September 21, 2026. https://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/chwi/
[2] NJDOH, institute background and CHW sustainability. https://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/chwi/about.shtml
[3] NJ FamilyCare, January 2026 MCO contract, section 11.3. https://nj.gov/humanservices/dmahs/documents/providers-stakeholders/hmo-contract.pdf
[4] NJDOH, Rural Health Transformation 2026 CHW RFA. https://nj.gov/rural-health-transformation/documents/njrht-2026-rfa-community-health-workers.pdf