We Graduated the First Cohort of Community Health Workers from the PUENTES Program

Renacer Foundation graduated the 1st PUENTES CHW cohort, trained with support from CareerSource and AdventHealth to serve Central Florida communities.

Pedro Ayala

8/3/20265 min read

Recognition of Our First Cohort of Graduates

We officially congratulate the 26 leaders who make up this historic first cohort of the PUENTES program:

Alexi Bula
Ana Castillo Claros
Ariana Evans
Claudia Sanoja
Daniel Garcés
Diana Pardo
Doris Montero
Emily Salamanca
Estefanía Espinosa
Fidel Hernández
Isabella Castro Bello
Jaime del Valle
Jhon Gamboa
Johan Ríos
Jorge García
José Gutiérrez
Joseph Claros
Julio C. González
Laura Serrano
Lorna Flowers-Miller
Ludy Cáceres
Marla Malavé
Patricia Claros
Pedro Ayala
Sandra Nupán
Silvia Mendoza

At Renacer Foundation, we reaffirm our mission to connect rigorous academic training with real community practice. With every new Community Health Worker we train and deploy, we consolidate a more equitable, accessible, and humane public health ecosystem for all of Central Florida.

At Renacer Foundation, we have marked a momentous achievement in our institutional history and in the social development of the region. Last Thursday, July 30, 2026, we celebrated with deep pride the Graduation Ceremony of the first cohort of Community Health Workers (CHW), trained under our official PUENTES curriculum.

This event not only represents the successful culmination of a rigorous cycle of academic instruction, but it also consolidates our intervention model as an effective bridge between accredited education, workforce development, and direct care for Central Florida's most vulnerable communities.

Academic Excellence and State Accreditation: The Value of the PUENTES Program

The training of this cohort responds to a structural strategy to mitigate public health access gaps in our region. At Renacer Foundation, we have consolidated ourselves as a key educational pillar in the state of Florida after being officially certified by the Florida Certification Board (FCB) as an Approved Education Provider (Provider ID: 5580-A).

Under the legal designation of a single-source provider, we have state authorization to teach all components of the standardized CHW curriculum. Our PUENTES program consisted of 30 hours of intensive academic classroom training, structured into phases of theoretical instruction, practical field workshops, and online resource modules.

The program is structured into two technical specialization tracks integrated with economic development foundations:

Wellness Track: Focused on preventive education, health system navigation, vital signs, and non-clinical management of chronic conditions.

Mental Health Track (Bienestar Mental): Designed to address the determinants of emotional well-being, crisis intervention, trauma response, and the prevention of professional burnout.

Access to the Educational Platform: All faculty and students of this cohort managed their content, assignments, and study materials through our interactive virtual classroom on Google Classroom.

Main Topics Addressed in the Training

To ensure rigorous preparation aligned with the real demands of the field, the curriculum covered five core areas of comprehensive knowledge:

CHW Foundations, Ethics, and Legal Regulations: Definition of the role as a community advocate and intermediary within the FCB's non-clinical framework, compliance with privacy rules and medical records under HIPAA, occupational safety protocols (OSHA), and the code of ethics with mandatory reporting according to Florida laws (F.S. §415.1034 and §39.201).

Effective Communication and Preventive Education: Application of health literacy techniques such as Teach-Back and "Ask Me 3", affirmative communication with a perspective of cultural humility for the Hispanic/Latino community, and Motivational Interviewing skills (OARS method).

Mental Health and Emotional Well-being: Training in crisis prevention and intervention (ALGEE framework), suicide risk assessment, handling of the 988 lifeline, state regulations (Baker Act and Marchman Act), and professional self-care tools (ProQOL assessment) to avoid burnout or compassion fatigue.

Social Determinants and Resource Navigation: Addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), assistance in navigating the Marketplace, Medicaid, Medicare, and the CMS GUIDE model for dementia, along with the effective referral of resources with key allies for isolated older adults (triple isolation).

Non-Clinical Practice and Field Assessments: Practical application of standardized instruments (STEADI fall screening, AD8 cognitive assessment, MMAS-8 medication adherence) and an in-person workshop on taking and interpreting vital signs (blood pressure and alert values) and community financial education.

The Path to Final Certification: 500 Hours of Field Impact

Upon receiving their class completion certificate at our ceremony, each of the 26 graduates has fulfilled one of the fundamental requirements demanded by the state of Florida.

Now, to achieve full accreditation as Certified Community Health Workers (CCHW) granted by the FCB, our graduates begin a crucial stage: the completion of 500 hours of direct work experience in the field, after which they will take their final state exam.

During this practical phase, the new professionals will deploy their competencies in strategic initiatives operated by our foundation and our allies, including the Welcome Home project for older adults and territorial preventive and mental health workdays. In this way, we ensure that academic learning immediately translates into humane, bilingual, non-clinical, and high technical quality care for families.

Strategic Alliances that Drive Labor and Social Development

This historic achievement is the materialization of joint effort and inter-institutional collaboration. The execution of the PUENTES program is made possible thanks to our strategic alliance with CareerSource Central Florida, the regional workforce development board that finances this training effort to qualify the local workforce and generate sustainable employment.

Similarly, we work hand in hand with AdventHealth, a key organization in our mission with which we coordinate continuous efforts to integrate the community health component and connect participants with comprehensive and preventive health services. Likewise, we have the valuable support of institutions such as the Senior Resource Alliance (SRA), guaranteeing specialized care for the elderly population.

An Inspiring Ceremony of Community Recognition

The graduation day was marked by moments of solemnity, gratitude, and institutional projection. The initial invocation was given by Fr. Hoover Cajicá, followed by opening remarks from representatives of CareerSource Central Florida, as well as distinguished state and elected leaders and officials who joined us to validate the importance of this advance in public health.

The formal delivery of the completion certificates was led by Fr. José Rodríguez, a moment in which the academic commitment and vocation of service of each of the students were recognized. The event concluded with closing remarks by Henry Mendoza, who reaffirmed the Renacer Foundation's commitment to continuing to expand these training cohorts throughout 2026.

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