What is a Community Health Worker?

A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a person who connects individuals to needed health care and social services. A CHW is a trusted member of the community, with a close understanding of the ethnicity, language, socio-economic status, and life experiences of the community they serve. CHWs can work in health care systems, with community organizations, or as volunteers to expand knowledge and access to available health resources. CHWs are also referred to as promotores.

For additional information, visit: https://www.apha.org/apha-communities/member-sections/community-health-workers.

What do CHWs do?

CHWs can have a variety of roles within the community. Examples include:

  • EDUCATION
    Educating community members on health knowledge and behaviors
  • RAISING AWARENESS

    Raising community awareness of available resources

  • INTERACTION

    Interacting with populations that are underserved by existing services

  • CULTURAL COMPETENCE
    Bridging cultural gaps and provide translation between languages
  • FACILITATING ACCESS

    Facilitating increased access to health care and social services

  • ESSENTIAL SERVICES

    Providing informal counseling, social support, and advocacy

What are other names for CHWs?

CHWs and Promotores de Salud are the titles used by the Texas DSHS certification program, but CHWs can work under a variety of job titles, including those listed here: http://www.cachw.org/chw-job-titles/.

How much do CHWs make?

CHW salaries vary by region and employer. Within the A&M system, CHWs are paid between $16-$18/hour on average.

Where are CHWs employed?

In 2020, Texas Department of State Health Services surveyed CHW employers: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/2020-CHW-Employer-Survey-Results_External.pdf The top 3 employers were:

  • HOSPITAL/CLINIC
  • NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
  • FEDERALLY-QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE CENTER (FQHC)

What does it mean to be a certified CHW instructor in the state of Texas?

In order to receive compensation as a CHW or CHW Instructor in the state of Texas, you must be certified by the Department of State Health Services’ CHW/Promotor/a/x Training OR CHWI/Instructor de Promotor/a/x Training and Certification Programs. You can be certified as a CHW or CHW Instructor in one of two ways:

 

To become certified, you must apply to the Department of State Health Services. There is no cost for certification.

What other states have certification for CHWs?

Click HERE for more in-depth information on nationwide CHW programs.

What are the core competencies?

The NCHWTC’s certification courses cover all eight core competencies in accordance to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

  • TEACHING
  • COMMUNICATION
  • ADVOCACY
  • SERVICE COORDINATION
  • INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
  • CAPACITY BUILDING
  • ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
  • KNOWLEDGE BASE

What does it mean for CHW instructors to have an institutional affiliation?

 

 

The state of Texas requires that CHW instructors have an affiliation with a certified training center in order to deliver certified training courses. CHW instructors must be listed as an affiliated instructor with a certified training center in order to deliver training to CHWs or CHW instructors that counts as certified continuing education. For that reason, the NCHWTC strongly encourages students interested in the CHW instructor course to arrange an affiliation prior to completing the certification.