Community Benefit Connect Certificate Program
Community Benefit Connect believes it is important to communicate the importance of the community benefit role. Experts collaborated to create this certificate program that establishes the knowledge and skills needed for success in the field. The Community Benefit Specialist Certificate program is an assessment-based certificate program, a non-degree granting program that provides instruction to aid participants in acquiring knowledge, skill, and competencies in community benefit. Participants’ understanding of the intended learning outcomes is evaluated through an assessment.
Target Audience
The program is targeted to individuals at all experience levels who specialize in or are interested in the field of community benefit.
Eligibility or Prerequisites
The program is open to all individuals interested in the field of community benefit.
Basis for the Program Content
The content for the program and assessment were developed from the recommended content outline and content area weights developed from the Job Analysis Study. The Job Analysis identified five community benefit role domains:
- Community health improvement and strategic planning
- Regulatory requirements, compliance and reporting
- Infrastructure
- External stakeholder engagement
- Data collection, reporting and evaluation
Program Objectives
- Accomplish the tasks and comprehend the knowledge necessary to perform the work of a community benefit professional
- Facilitate community benefit efforts to improve the health of the community
- Develop a community benefit plan that links with the health facility’s/system’s strategic plan
- Maintain compliance with Federal and State community benefit regulations
- Ensure implementation of community benefit standards and guidelines
- Explain the knowledge and tasks suggested for a community benefit professional
- Describe methods to implement community benefit functions with a variety of stakeholders
- Identify the components of a community benefit grant program
- Discuss the importance of stakeholder engagement and community partnerships
- Identify community engagement processes
- Describe various ways a hospital can engage stakeholders
Cost of the Certificate Program
The cost of the Certificate Program is $799.
Confidentiality Agreement
Applicants will be required to read and acknowledge a confidentiality statement as part of the application process, agreeing to maintain the confidentiality of program content.
Nondiscrimination and Fairness
The Community Benefit Specialist Program is open to all candidates interested in the field of community benefit without regard to age, sex, race, color, national origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or marital status to all rights, privileges, programs, and examinations. Community Benefit Connect/IHA will not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, color, national origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or marital status in the administration of the program and the policies related to the program.
Program Completion
To successfully complete the Community Benefit Specialist Certificate program, an applicant must register on line and pay the fee. The applicant will be given a link to the online certificate platform. The applicant has six (6) months to complete the program. After six months, the link will be invalid. If the applicant has not completed the program in six months, he/she will be required to reapply and pay the fee to retake the certificate program.
Granting the Certificate
The certificate program consists of five (5) knowledge domains. Each domain has an assessment activity at the end of the domain content. The applicant must successfully complete all five domain assessments to earn the certificate. A certificate of completion will be earned by those applicants who successfully complete the program assessments.
The Community Benefit Specialist program is an assessment-based certificate program. Individuals who complete the program do not receive a credential or certification. Individuals who complete the program will receive a certificate of completion that includes the participant’s name and the date the individual completed the program.
Submitting a Request for Reconsideration
If an applicant’s domain assessment is not approved and the applicant feels his/her assessment submission was incorrectly denied, he/she can submit a written appeal stating the reasons why he/she feels the denial was incorrect.
Community Benefit Connect will review the applicant’s request and supporting documentation and materials when reconsidering the adverse assessment decision, and will notify the applicant in writing of the decision within 45 days of receiving the request. All decisions are final.
Peer Reviewers
Community Benefit Connect has convened a panel of Peer Reviewers to assist in the review of the assessment items submitted by the applicants. Peer Reviewers are selected based on their demonstrated expertise, experience level, geographic representation, and specialty area. They will be appointed on an ad-hoc basis.
Content and Assessment Evaluation
Community Benefit Connect will review the training content and assessment for the Community Benefit Specialist program annually to ensure it remains consistent with the learning outcomes and purpose of the program. Evaluation of the program includes a review of the content and a summary of the performance of the assessment items. To assist with program review, Community Benefit Connect may request feedback from program participants related to the program content and assessments.
In addition to the evaluation of the program, Community Benefit Connect will monitor and assure the quality of the activities performed in relation to the program to detect needed corrective measures, and identify opportunities for improvement. The purpose of quality assurance monitoring is to provide an objective, fair, and standardized assessment-based certificate program.
Errors Found during Normal Program Operations
Errors discovered during the course of normal program operations will be quickly addressed to correct the error.
