Behavioral Health Community Health Worker (BH-CHW) Apprenticeship

The Apprenticeship

New York City’s first nationally registered Behavioral Health Community Health Worker (BH-CHW) Apprenticeship strengthens the behavioral health workforce while creating living-wage career pathways for trusted community members.

Strengthening NYC’s Behavioral Health Workforce

New York City is mitigating a behavioral health crisis amid a workforce shortage. Expanding and diversifying the behavioral health workforce is essential to meeting the needs of communities across the five boroughs.

Registered apprenticeships create structured pathways into growing careers while increasing community-based capacity. The BH-CHW Apprenticeship advances prevention, early identification of distress, and connection to care while contributing to the City’s goal of connecting 30,000 New Yorkers to apprenticeships by 2030.

What is a Community Health Worker and What Do They Do?

  • Trusted community members

  • Bridge health systems and communities

  • Conduct outreach, screening, and referrals

  • Connect people to health care and social resources

  • Strengthen cultural competence and trust

 

How the Apprenticeship Works

Learn While You Earn

Six-month program

2,000 paid on-the-job work hours

148 hours of continuing education

Gain Credentials

Upon successful completion of coursework, Apprentices receive a certificate and earn college credits. Apprentices who master core Community Health Worker competencies may also qualify to earn a nationally recognized CHW Apprenticeship certification upon completion.

Paid, On-the-Job Training

Apprentices are hired by NYC health and human service employer partners and gain hands-on experience in outreach, screening, care coordination, and navigation of social services. Employers recruit apprentices that they may consider for long-term hire, therefore affording job continuity and stability.

2025 Pilot Results

80%

Retained in employment

100%

Achieved full competency

90%

Felt training prepared them

100%

Employer satisfaction

Post-program wages ranged from $17/hour (part-time) to $85,000 annually (full-time).

Public Partnerships

Cross-sector partnerships are essential to building effective and sustainable behavioral health systems because no single institution holds all the expertise and resources necessary to meet community health needs. By bringing together public leadership, academic rigor, public health analysis and workforce development, collaborations such as the Apprenticeship create a more holistic and responsive approach to addressing the mental/behavioral health workforce shortage.

OCMH would like to thank the following partners for their collaboration on the Apprenticeship: CUNY - Hostos Community College, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, 1199 SEIU Training and Education Funds, and H-CAP.

Program Cycles

Cycle 1 Cohort (2025)

  • 14 Apprentices enrolled | 12 completed
  • Education Partner: CUNY | Hostos Community College
  • National Registration: H-CAP

.....

Cycle 2 Cohort (2026)

  • 21 Apprentices enrolled
  • 6 Community Mentors
  • Education Partner: CUNY | Hostos Community College
  • City Agency Partner: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
  • Career Pathways and National Registration: 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds

Partners:

  • CUNY CARES and BCC CARES (Bronx college campuses)
  • Center for Hope Services (Staten Island)
  • Hamilton-Madison House (Manhattan)
  • Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (Bronx)
  • Project Renewal (Manhattan)
  • RiseBoro Community Partnership (Brooklyn)
  • Strong Children Wellness (Queens)

Partners:

  • Children's Aid (Manhattan)
  • Commonpoint - The Hub (Queens)
  • Housing Opportunities Unlimited (Staten Island)
  • King of Kings Foundation (Queens)
  • Neighborhood Housing Services - East Flatbush (Brooklyn)
  • VIP Community Services (The Bronx)

Building Toward a Community Mental Health Navigator Model

The BH-CHW Apprenticeship embodies the core functions envisioned for the Community Mental Health Navigator model, including outreach, screening, education, connection to care, and navigation of social services.

By building on an established apprenticeship infrastructure, including curriculum, supervision structures, credentialing, and employer partnerships, New York City can scale a prevention-focused, community-based behavioral health workforce efficiently and sustainably.

Contact

Melanie Wilkerson | Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives | Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health | [email protected]