Current Projects - Center for Rural Health

The U.P. Community Health Town Hall is a FREE, monthly, virtual webinar series hosted by Elise Bur, Director of the Center for Rural Health at Northern Michigan University and is organized in partnership with Dr. Steven Elmer, Associate Professor, and Dr. Kelly Kamm, Assistant Professor, both from the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology at Michigan Technological University.

Returning in 2025

Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health is excited to announce a new partnership with Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) and Saginaw Valley State University. 

On August 1, 2022, Upper Peninsula Workforce Innovation Network (U.P WIN) project partners learned they received a $1.4 million dollar grant over a three-year period from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. This collaborative effort will increase Upper Peninsula residents’ access to healthcare by expanding relevant workforce training, education and employment. Elise Bur, Director of the Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health, is the Project Director. One of the central elements of U.P. WIN is to create stronger links between training programs and the health care entities that will ultimately employ or rely on these public health professionals.

NCHW training involves 12 days of live instruction on the 11 nationally recognized CHW core competencies plus Mental Health First Aid and ACES training. Students will utilize their provided textbook and workbook to complete assignments, take notes, and improve their understanding of the CHW role. Classes will start at 8:00am EST of the dates listed, and will end at 5:00pm EST. Training requires a total of 166 hours of engagement divided between instruction, independent study, assignments, and instructor coaching. To obtain certification, students should attend all 12 classes.