Community Health Worker
What is a Community Health Worker (CHW)?
A Community Health Worker is a frontline public health worker who, with or without compensation, serves as a liaison and provides cultural mediation between healthcare and social services and the community ...
- by having a close understanding of the ethnicity, language, socio-economic status, and life experiences of the community served,
- by assisting people in gaining access to needed services,
- by building individual, community, and system capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, patient navigation and follow-up, community health education and information, informal counseling, social support, advocacy, and participation in clinical research.
Community Health Worker (CHW) Training and Certification Program
In collaboration with the West Texas AHEC Program Office, training is offered to become a Certified Community Health Worker (CHW). The Community Health Worker Certification Course provides 160 contact training hours on the following eight core competencies: Communication, Teaching, Interpersonal Skills, Service Coordination, Capacity Building, Advocacy, Organization, and Knowledge Base and is certified by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
Who can become a CHW?
- Everyday people who want to make a difference
- Anyone who is at least 18 years old
- Anyone with a high school diploma or GED (required)
For upcoming course information regarding training dates, registration, and fees, contact Stephanie Loya at (806) 651-3482, or sloya@wtamu.edu. Tuition assistance may be available.
CHW Behavioral Health Online Continuing Education Series
The CHW Behavioral Health Online Continuing Education Series is certified by the Texas Department of State Health Services and offers 12 DSHS-Approved CEU hours towards CHW recertification.
Topics include:
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- Addictions
- Crisis Intervention
- Ethics
- Intro to Group Counseling
- Intro to Personalities
- Life Span Development
- Physiological Psychology
To view the CHW Behavioral Health Online Continuing Education Series flyer, click here.
For more information on the Community Health Worker Training and Certification Program or the CHW Behavioral Health Online Continuing Education Series, contact Stephanie Loya at (806) 651-3482, or sloya@wtamu.edu.