Pathways Community HUB Institute
Centene Foundation partners with community-based organizations to remove barriers to health and empower communities to create lasting change. This partnership with the Pathways Community HUB Institute (PCHI) strengthens community health worker training and supports care coordination across the country, including through the development of a virtual Resource Center designed to expand access to tools, training and best practices.
At a Glance
INVESTMENT
(3-year commitment)
PROGRAM
PCHI Model Resource Center
TIMELINE
Launch in 2026; full implementation in 2027
REGION SERVED
National (with strong focus in Ohio)
PARTNERS
- Pathways Community Hub Institute
- Centene Foundation
- Buckeye Health Plan
DRIVERS OF HEALTH FOCUS
Community health workforce, care coordination
About Pathways Community HUB Institute
The Pathways Community HUB Institute is a national organization based in Ohio that helps communities build sustainable care coordination networks. Through the PCHI Model, communities are connected to services, outcomes are tracked, and payment is tied to results.
Today, certified Pathways Community HUB Models operate in communities across the country, supporting efforts to connect individuals and families to the care and resources they need.
The Centene Foundation Partnership
In 2025, the Centene Foundation and Centene's Ohio-based Buckeye Health Plan awarded a three-year, combined $1.65 million grant to support the creation of the PCHI Model Resource Center. Buckeye will serve as the key partner in bringing the initiative to life in Ohio.
This investment focuses on strengthening the community health workforce by expanding access to standardized training, tools, and resources for Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Pathways Community HUB staff.
The virtual Resource Center is an online platform where CHWs and partner organizations can access training, care coordination tools, templates, and coaching to support their work connecting individuals to services. It will provide on-demand education, templates, and live coaching to support consistent, high-quality care coordination.
Why Pathways Community HUB Institute’s Work Matters
CHWs are often on the front lines of care coordination, helping individuals navigate challenges such as housing instability, food access, transportation barriers, and chronic disease management.
As communities work to address these drivers of health, consistent and high-quality training for CHWs is essential. A better equipped workforce helps ensure individuals are connected to the right services at the right time, supporting more effective coordination and improved health outcomes. In Ohio, this work has also supported efforts to improve maternal and infant health outcomes, including increasing postpartum care engagement and reducing preterm birth rates. These outcomes are tied to how Pathways Community HUBs connect pregnant women to early prenatal care, postpartum follow-up, and needed support services.
"Community health workers are the backbone of the PCHI Model. This combined $1.65 million investment will help us build a virtual Resource Center that equips PCHs and CHWs with consistent training, tools, and coaching. Thanks to the support from the Centene Foundation and Buckeye Health Plan, we can now scale what works, streamline onboarding, and improve measurable outcomes so more individuals and families get the right support and care at the right time.”
— Dr. Sarah Redding, Founder and CEO, Pathways Community HUB Institute
Services Provided
Through this partnership, the PCHI Model Resource Center will provide:
- Standardized training and education for CHWs and HUB staff
- On-demand tools and resources to support care coordination
- Access to policies and templates to promote consistency across programs
- Live coaching and support to strengthen workforce capabilities
Community Impact
Building on PHCI’s experience in Ohio, where the PCHI Model is implemented in 12 communities and reaches 80 percent of counties through Pathways Community HUBs, the Resource Center will help expand and strengthen this approach nationwide.
By equipping CHWs and HUB staff with consistent training and tools, the initiative aims to:
- Improve how care is coordinated across communities
- Support better health outcomes
- Strengthen and grow the community health workforce
- Create new job opportunities
The Resource Center is scheduled to launch in 2026, with full implementation expected by 2027. The initiative will follow a phased approach, beginning with an environmental scan of Ohio’s Pathways Community HUBs, health plans, providers and stakeholders to identify educational and workforce needs. Insights from this phase will inform the development of training materials, policies and strategic content, which will continue to be refined over time. Progress and impact will be measured using PCHI’s National Quality Benchmark Report.
