The San Francisco Community Health Academy is a free training program offered in Spanish and English, designed for community health workers and promotes aimed to develop and sharpen transferable public health skills through a racial equity lens.

The War on Drugs, the Prison Industrial Complex, and Harm Reduction (In-person Training) 10/19/23

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Thursday, October 19th, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm

Training Overview:

This four-hour in-person training is designed for people with harm reduction training and experience who are looking to take their programming and care to the next level. Through a combination of history, shared experiences, case studies, and discussion, training participants will explore the ways that criminalization and exploitation have created a system that causes certain groups to have worse health outcomes and a lower quality of life. Participants will learn how they can use this knowledge to build programming that interrupts these oppressive systems and angle their services toward being as open and inclusive as possible.

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

  • Define what the prison industrial complex and the war on drugs are and how they impacted communities of color from the 1970’s to the present
  •  Identify three ways different behaviors and drugs are treated differently within the justice system and what those differences stem from
  •  Explore the ways that the harm reduction can be used through direct service, policy, and community organizing to reduce the harms that stemmed from the racialized war on drugs
  • Identify 3 ways that their program can change in order to resist further oppressing marginalized people and create spaces from healing and growth

This training will be held in person at 25 Van Ness Ave. Suite 610, San Francisco, CA 94102

25 Van Ness Ave – Google Maps

Continuing education units (CEUs) are available thanks to the Center for Learning and Innovation (CLI) for the following disciplines:  

  • Registered Nurses (RN)
  • Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC)
  • Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEP)

In order to receive your CEUs, you must complete the following:

  • Sign in and sign out of the training using the chat in Zoom.
  • Complete the evaluation after the training AND complete the 5 post-question quiz
  • You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the training if you fill out the evaluation.
  • CEUs will be emailed to you within 1 month.

Attending one of these trainings fulfills the annual harm reduction training contract requirement, which is part of the SFDPH Declaration of Compliance for SFDPH systems of care and funded agencies that provide direct service to clients.  

Equity Statement

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is committed to leading with race and prioritizing Intersectionality, including sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, language, and ability. SFDPH strives to move forward on the continuum of becoming an anti-racist institution through dismantling racism, building, building solidarity among racial groups, and working towards becoming a Trauma-Informed/Trauma Healing Organization in partnership with staff, clients, communities, and our contractors. When attending, SFDP trainings, events, and/or meetings, we uphold expectations and standards of rules of engagement for our employees and contractors. We expect that all participants operate in professional integrity and adhere to the DPH Employee Code of Conduct or their employee conduct. Participants will be accountable for upholding any group agreements provided by the trainer or host and uphold principles of transparency, confidentiality and respect. We support respectful participation across intersecting identities and experiences including race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, religion, language, physical and mental ability, and political ideology. While we strive to make an space of inclusivity, belonging, and hub for various perspective, we do not tolerate any inappropriate behavior or comments rooted in anti-blackness, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, sexism, or any comments or behavior that is discriminatory, disruptive, or divisive. If participants cannot abide by these expectations, they will be removed from the training or event and will not be allowed to attend any additional DPH trainings, event, and/or meetings. Trainers have been informed to notify DPH of any misconduct and a DPH representative will follow up with that employee’s supervisor or participant’s agency regarding the misconduct.

The War on Drugs, the Prison Industrial Complex, and Harm Reduction (Online Training) 10/10/23

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Tuesday, October 10th, 1 pm – 3 pm

Training Overview:

This two-hour online training is designed for people with harm reduction training and experience who are looking to take their programming and care to the next level. Through a combination of history, shared experiences, case studies, and discussion, training participants will explore the ways that criminalization and exploitation have created a system that causes certain groups to have worse health outcomes and a lower quality of life. Participants will learn how they can use this knowledge to build programming that interrupts these oppressive systems and angle their services toward being as open and inclusive as possible.

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

  • Define what the prison industrial complex and the war on drugs are and how they impacted communities of color from the 1970’s to the present
  •  Identify three ways different behaviors and drugs are treated differently within the justice system and what those differences stem from
  •  Explore the ways that the harm reduction can be used through direct service, policy, and community organizing to reduce the harms that stemmed from the racialized war on drugs
  • Identify 3 ways that their program can change in order to resist further oppressing marginalized people and create spaces from healing and growth

Join Zoom Meeting

Zoom link 

Continuing education units (CEUs) are available thanks to the Center for Learning and Innovation (CLI) for the following disciplines:  

  • Registered Nurses (RN)
  • Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC)
  • Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEP)

In order to receive your CEUs, you must complete the following:

  • Sign in and sign out of the training using the chat in Zoom.
  • Complete the evaluation after the training AND complete the 5 post-question quiz
  • You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the training if you fill out the evaluation.
  • CEUs will be emailed to you within 1 month.

Attending one of these trainings fulfills the annual harm reduction training contract requirement, which is part of the SFDPH Declaration of Compliance for SFDPH systems of care and funded agencies that provide direct service to clients.  

Equity Statement

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is committed to leading with race and prioritizing Intersectionality, including sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, language, and ability. SFDPH strives to move forward on the continuum of becoming an anti-racist institution through dismantling racism, building, building solidarity among racial groups, and working towards becoming a Trauma-Informed/Trauma Healing Organization in partnership with staff, clients, communities, and our contractors. When attending, SFDP trainings, events, and/or meetings, we uphold expectations and standards of rules of engagement for our employees and contractors. We expect that all participants operate in professional integrity and adhere to the DPH Employee Code of Conduct or their employee conduct. Participants will be accountable for upholding any group agreements provided by the trainer or host and uphold principles of transparency, confidentiality and respect. We support respectful participation across intersecting identities and experiences including race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, religion, language, physical and mental ability, and political ideology. While we strive to make an space of inclusivity, belonging, and hub for various perspective, we do not tolerate any inappropriate behavior or comments rooted in anti-blackness, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, sexism, or any comments or behavior that is discriminatory, disruptive, or divisive. If participants cannot abide by these expectations, they will be removed from the training or event and will not be allowed to attend any additional DPH trainings, event, and/or meetings. Trainers have been informed to notify DPH of any misconduct and a DPH representative will follow up with that employee’s supervisor or participant’s agency regarding the misconduct.

Dismantling Drug-Related Stigma (In-Person Training) 9/21/23

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Thursday, September 21st, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm

Training Overview:

This four-hour in-person training will introduce the concepts of social inequalities faced by people who use drugs, the stigma they experience, and how this impacts their ability to access services. Through evaluation of one’s own potential role in perpetuating drug-related stigma, participants will develop new strategies for building more authentic and productive relationships with clients, as well as dismantling stigma related to drug use in their day-to-day lives.

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

  • Recall the meaning of stigma & related concepts
  • Identify three ways in which drug users experience stigma and discrimination
  • Identify two consequences of drug-related stigma and discrimination on access to services
  • Identify conceptual and practical tools to challenge stigma and support the needs of people who use drugs
  • Explain three ways to address stigma at individual and agency levels

This training will be held in person at 25 Van Ness Ave. Suite 610, San Francisco, CA 94102

25 Van Ness Ave – Google Maps

Continuing education units (CEUs) are available thanks to the Center for Learning and Innovation (CLI) for the following disciplines:  

  • Registered Nurses (RN)
  • Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC)
  • Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEP)

In order to receive your CEUs, you must complete the following:

  • Sign in and sign out of the training using the chat in Zoom.
  • Complete the evaluation after the training AND complete the 5 post-question quiz
  • You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the training if you fill out the evaluation.
  • CEUs will be emailed to you within 1 month.

Attending one of these trainings fulfills the annual harm reduction training contract requirement, which is part of the SFDPH Declaration of Compliance for SFDPH systems of care and funded agencies that provide direct service to clients.  

Equity Statement

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is committed to leading with race and prioritizing Intersectionality, including sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, language, and ability. SFDPH strives to move forward on the continuum of becoming an anti-racist institution through dismantling racism, building, building solidarity among racial groups, and working towards becoming a Trauma-Informed/Trauma Healing Organization in partnership with staff, clients, communities, and our contractors. When attending, SFDP trainings, events, and/or meetings, we uphold expectations and standards of rules of engagement for our employees and contractors. We expect that all participants operate in professional integrity and adhere to the DPH Employee Code of Conduct or their employee conduct. Participants will be accountable for upholding any group agreements provided by the trainer or host and uphold principles of transparency, confidentiality and respect. We support respectful participation across intersecting identities and experiences including race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, religion, language, physical and mental ability, and political ideology. While we strive to make an space of inclusivity, belonging, and hub for various perspective, we do not tolerate any inappropriate behavior or comments rooted in anti-blackness, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, sexism, or any comments or behavior that is discriminatory, disruptive, or divisive. If participants cannot abide by these expectations, they will be removed from the training or event and will not be allowed to attend any additional DPH trainings, event, and/or meetings. Trainers have been informed to notify DPH of any misconduct and a DPH representative will follow up with that employee’s supervisor or participant’s agency regarding the misconduct.

Dismantling Drug-Related Stigma (Online Training) 9/18/23

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Monday, September 18th, 11 am – 1 pm

Training Overview:

This two-hour online training will introduce the concepts of social inequalities faced by people who use drugs, the stigma they experience, and how this impacts their ability to access services. Through evaluation of one’s own potential role in perpetuating drug-related stigma, participants will develop new strategies for building more authentic and productive relationships with clients, as well as dismantling stigma related to drug use in their day-to-day lives.

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

  • Recall the meaning of stigma & related concepts
  • Identify three ways in which drug users experience stigma and discrimination
  • Identify two consequences of drug-related stigma and discrimination on access to services
  • Identify conceptual and practical tools to challenge stigma and support the needs of people who use drugs
  • Explain three ways to address stigma at individual and agency levels

Join Zoom Meeting

Zoom Link 

Continuing education units (CEUs) are available thanks to the Center for Learning and Innovation (CLI) for the following disciplines:  

  • Registered Nurses (RN)
  • Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC)
  • Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEP)

In order to receive your CEUs, you must complete the following:

  • Sign in and sign out of the training using the chat in Zoom.
  • Complete the evaluation after the training AND complete the 5 post-question quiz
  • You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the training if you fill out the evaluation.
  • CEUs will be emailed to you within 1 month.

Attending one of these trainings fulfills the annual harm reduction training contract requirement, which is part of the SFDPH Declaration of Compliance for SFDPH systems of care and funded agencies that provide direct service to clients.  

Equity Statement

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is committed to leading with race and prioritizing Intersectionality, including sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, language, and ability. SFDPH strives to move forward on the continuum of becoming an anti-racist institution through dismantling racism, building, building solidarity among racial groups, and working towards becoming a Trauma-Informed/Trauma Healing Organization in partnership with staff, clients, communities, and our contractors. When attending, SFDP trainings, events, and/or meetings, we uphold expectations and standards of rules of engagement for our employees and contractors. We expect that all participants operate in professional integrity and adhere to the DPH Employee Code of Conduct or their employee conduct. Participants will be accountable for upholding any group agreements provided by the trainer or host and uphold principles of transparency, confidentiality and respect. We support respectful participation across intersecting identities and experiences including race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, religion, language, physical and mental ability, and political ideology. While we strive to make an space of inclusivity, belonging, and hub for various perspective, we do not tolerate any inappropriate behavior or comments rooted in anti-blackness, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, sexism, or any comments or behavior that is discriminatory, disruptive, or divisive. If participants cannot abide by these expectations, they will be removed from the training or event and will not be allowed to attend any additional DPH trainings, event, and/or meetings. Trainers have been informed to notify DPH of any misconduct and a DPH representative will follow up with that employee’s supervisor or participant’s agency regarding the misconduct.

Foundations of Harm Reduction 8.29.23 (Online)

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Tuesday, August 29th,  10 am – 12:00 pm (PST)

Training Overview:

This training will provide a foundation in the principles of harm reduction and define harm reduction as an intervention, philosophy, and movement that participants can incorporate into their own work to better support people who use drugs. This training will give participants an opportunity to explore the principles of harm reduction and strategies for implementing them into their day-to-day work

By the end of this training, you will be able to:

  • Explore 2-3 common motivations of drug use
  • Define 3 key principles of harm reduction
  • List at least three harm reduction options for substance use behaviors
  • Identify 2-3 harm reduction services

Join Zoom Meeting

Zoom link 


Continuing education units (CEUs) are available thanks to the Center for Learning and Innovation (CLI) for the following disciplines:  

  • Registered Nurses (RN)
  • Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC)
  • Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEP)

In order to receive your CEUs, you must complete the following:

  • Sign in and sign out of the training using the chat in Zoom.
  • Complete the evaluation and the post-test after the training
  • You will receive a completion certificate at the end of the training if you fill out the evaluation.
  • CEUs will be emailed to you within 1 month.

Attending one of these trainings fulfills the annual harm reduction training contract requirement, which is part of the SFDPH Declaration of Compliance for SFDPH systems of care and funded agencies that provide direct service to clients.  

Equity Statement

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is committed to leading with race and prioritizing Intersectionality, including sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, language, and ability. SFDPH strives to move forward on the continuum of becoming an anti-racist institution through dismantling racism, building, building solidarity among racial groups, and working towards becoming a Trauma-Informed/Trauma Healing Organization in partnership with staff, clients, communities, and our contractors. When attending, SFDP trainings, events, and/or meetings, we uphold expectations and standards of rules of engagement for our employees and contractors. We expect that all participants operate in professional integrity and adhere to the DPH Employee Code of Conduct or their employee conduct. Participants will be accountable for upholding any group agreements provided by the trainer or host and uphold principles of transparency, confidentiality and respect. We support respectful participation across intersecting identities and experiences including race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, nationality, religion, language, physical and mental ability, and political ideology. While we strive to make an space of inclusivity, belonging, and hub for various perspective, we do not tolerate any inappropriate behavior or comments rooted in anti-blackness, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, sexism, or any comments or behavior that is discriminatory, disruptive, or divisive. If participants cannot abide by these expectations, they will be removed from the training or event and will not be allowed to attend any additional DPH trainings, event, and/or meetings. Trainers have been informed to notify DPH of any misconduct and a DPH representative will follow up with that employee’s supervisor or participant’s agency regarding the misconduct.

Integrating PrEP and PEP into Partner Services

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This course is designed to give Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) the tools they need to offer HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to their clients by reviewing what PrEP is, how it differs from post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) how to assess whether a patient is eligible for PrEP, and PrEP counseling. This course also provides a new job aid, the PrEP Counseling Checklist, that DIS can utilize during patient encounters.

Staying Resilient and Delivering Patient Care

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Learning objectives:

In this virtual learning session with Robin Mattheis, MSW, participants will learn about the following:

  1. Adverse childhood experiences
  2. Trauma-informed care
  3. Building resilience

Boots on the Ground Part 1: Foundational Epidemiology

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This course is an introduction to epidemiology. By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  1. Define epidemiology
  2. Describe the key factors impacting the incidence and spread of disease, injury, or health outcome (i.e. agent, host, environment)
  3. Describe basic key terms in epidemiology
  4. Describe distribution of disease, injury, or health outcomes and understand bias, validity, and reliability in assessing public health problems
  5. Identify bias, validity, and reliability
  6. Identify research methods

HCV/HIV/STI Test Counselor Pre-Training (August 21st – 25th, 2023)

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Upcoming In-Person Training: August 21st – 25th, 2023

This online course provides the information that forms the foundation for the STI/HIV/HCV Test Counselor Pre-Training you will be attending soon. Both trainings build on almost 30 years of experience talking with people about stopping the transmission of HIV.

This online course is separated into reading modules, followed by a 32-question quiz. There is no time limit to complete the reading or quiz. You need at least 80 percent of correct responses in order to be eligible to participate in the in-person training. If you do not pass on the first try, you can retake the quiz one more time after reading the material again.

Learners are not able to self-enroll in the pre-training course at this time. Instead, your site coordinator should have registered you for this program and you should have received an email notification from the SFDPH Center for Learning and Innovation saying you have been enrolled in this course. If you have not yet received this email notification, please reach out to your site coordinator first to ensure they have submitted an application for your registration in this program.

If you are a learner seeking to register yourself in this program and are unsure of who your site coordinator is, or you believe you are at a site without a coordinator, please contact Todd Watkins at todd.watkins@sfdph.org.

Group of people sitting on chairs in circle

Engagement Strategies To Reach African American Seniors With HIV

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Runtime: 90 minutes

Course information and objectives: Gain in-depth insight into creating strategies that will reach African American seniors living with HIV.