WI CHW Network: 2025 Annual Conference

WI CHW Network

The essential gathering for Community Health Workers! Connect, grow, and strengthen the workforce with doulas, peer specialists & navigators

Glacier Canyon Lodge

Agenda

Registration/ Networking – Continental Breakfast 

Bria Grant, WI CHW Network, Principal Owner, UniteWI Executive Director

Welcome/Open

Mary Kay-Battaglia/Executive Director of NAMI WI - Mary Kay Battaglia is the Executive Director of NAMI Wisconsin. She holds a BS in Health and Biology from Texas A&M University and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Texas–Houston. With experience in medical research and pharmaceutical studies, she brought her passion for mental health and community service to NAMI, where she became Executive Director in 2019. Under her leadership, the organization has doubled in size and continues to expand its impact statewide.

Keynote

Break

Understanding the IRIS program: Self-Direction for CHWs & the Communities They Serve - Dan Krohn, Joe Crivello , TMG Wisconsin

Health Insurance Options and Policy Changes - Caroline Gomez-Tom,  UW-Madison, Division of Extension, Covering Wisconsin


Breakout Sessions (Concurrent Sessions) 

Preventative Care in Action: Empowering Communities with Tools for Blood Pressure, BMI, and Holistic Wellness - Nurse Shirley, founder of Preventative Care, LLC 

From Precontemplation to Action: Harnessing Motivational Intervention Skills to Empower Tobacco Cessation Behavior Change - Allison Gorrilla, University of Wisconsin-Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention

Empowering the Frontline: A Deeper Look into the Community Health Worker experience - Challenges Faced by Community Health Workers- CHW Outcomes - Adrian Charles Hill CHW/Health Related Services Navigator, Create A Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative

Lunch 

Massage as Medicine: Expanding Access Through Community Health Work - Jessica James, Owner & LMT Jess the Right Touch 

Healing at the Crossroads: Trauma-Informed Community Health Practices to Prevent Youth Exploitation – April Bentley, Founder & Executive Director, Rubies Corporation 

Cross Partner Pollination – Need/Solution Exercise  

How WI Registered Apprenticeship Model can attract, train and retain talented CHW professionals. – Chuck Olsen, Bureau of Apprenticeship, WI DWD 