Office of Border Public Health Community Health Worker Training Center FAQs
OBPH Program
- Does the OBPH CHW Training Center offer an approved DSHS-certified 160-hour competency-based CHW/CHWI training course?
- Does the OBPH CHW Training Center offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for CHWs/CHWIs/Promotoras?
Affiliation with OBPH
- What is the process, to become affiliated with the OBPH CHW Training Center as a DSHS-certified CHWI?
- What to expect after requesting to be affiliated as a DSHS-certified CHWI with the OBPH CHW Training Center?
- Does a certified CHW Instructor have to renew their affiliation with a certified training center?
- Can a CHWI be affiliated with several training centers?
- Can a CHWI from New Mexico (NM) be affiliated with a CHW training center in Texas (and vice versa)?
- If I am affiliated with the OBPH CHW Training Center, can I have my certified training announced?
Training Curriculum
- What must be included in DSHS certified continuing education curriculum for CHWs/CHWIs?
- What are the requirements to have a CHW/CHWI/Promotor(a) training certified under the OBPH CHW Training Center?
Guest Instructor(s)
- What If my organization does not have a certified CHW Instructor to teach certified OBPH CHW training? Can we use a guest instructor?
- How to request guest instructor approval for training that is certified under the OBPH
Partnership Training with CHW Training Centers
- Can my certified CHW training center borrow a DSHS-certified curriculum from the OBPH CHW Training Center or other certified CHW training centers?
- When two CHW training centers collaborate on training, who would claim the number of CHWs/CHWIs trained?
- Does the OBPH CHW Training Center offer an approved DSHS-certified 160-hour competency-based CHW/CHWI training course?
No, the OBPH CHW Training Center is not approved to provide CHW certification training (at least 160 hours) CHWs Promotores or CHWIs. In the near future, we plan to discuss with our OBPH Regional staff the possibility of applying to become a training program that provides the 160-hour certification course. Please visit the Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program website for a list of training centers that provide the 160-hour competency-based CHW/CHWI training course.
- Does the OBPH CHW Training Center offer DSHS-certified Continuing Education) or DSHS-certified CEUs (continuing education units) to CHWs Promotores or CHWIs?
Yes, the OBPH CHW Training Center is certified by Texas DSHS to provide training to fulfill continuing education (CE) requirements for CHWs/Promotores and CHWIs.
Please visit the OBPH CHW Training and Resources website and the DSHS Community Health Worker (CHW) or Promotor(a) Education Calendar for any upcoming training available for CHWs and CHWIs.
- What is the process, to become affiliated with the OBPH CHW Training Center as a DSHS-certified CHWI?
Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program Policy, Section D. Certification of Training Program (page 4) require that CHW instructors have an affiliation with a certified training center to deliver certified training courses. CHW Instructors must be listed as affiliated instructors with a certified training center to deliver training to CHWs or CHW Instructors that count as certified continuing education.
Only certified CHWIs can affiliate with a training center. If you are a certified CHW Instructor wanting to affiliate with the OBPH CHW Training Center, please email OBPHCHWTrainingCenter@dshs.texas.gov your interest and include the region you serve as listed below:
- Public Health Region 8: Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Kenney, La Salle, Maverick, Uvalde, Val Verde, and Zavala
- Public Health Region 9/10: Brewster, Crockett, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Sutton, and Terrell
- Public Health Region 11: Brooks, Cameron, Duval, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, McMullen, Starr, Webb, Willacy Zapata, and Nueces
If you are not a certified CHW Instructor and want to become one, refer to “CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)” or read the CHW Instructor Certification Requirements. - What to expect after requesting to be affiliated as a DSHS-certified CHWI with the OBPH CHW Training Center?
OBPH will send you an application form via email. If approved for affiliation, the DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program will e-mail you an Approval Affiliation Memorandum (Memo). (Please allow up to 2 weeks for a response)
Documents you may receive from OBPH after affiliation approval:
- OBPH Training Curriculum Proposal Form: The purpose of this form is to propose a curriculum that you wish to get DSHS certified under the OBPH CHW Training Center. The proposed curriculum must (1) align with the OBPH priorities, (2) not be a duplication of an existing certified curriculum through the Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program, and (3) meet a need along the Texas-Mexico border.
- Training Program Curriculum Submission Form: serves as a checklist and information to understand the DSHS curriculum submission, review, approval process, and timeline.
- Roster Form (sign-in sheet): A participant report of individuals who have successfully completed the education the certified CHWI provided.
- OBPH Certificate Template: The certificate template you will be using for the DSHS-certified training you offer.
- Guest Instructor Request Form: To request the inclusion of a guest speaker/presenter (other than a certified CHWI) as part of the DSHS-certified training course.
- Training Announcement Form: To help announce your upcoming training to other CHWs and/or CHWIs.
The curriculum submission form, the guest instructor request form, and the training announcement form may also be accessed on the DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program website.
- Does a certified CHW Instructor have to renew their affiliation with a certified training center?
No, a certified CHW Instructor’s affiliation is automatically re-instated whenever the instructor renews their CHW Instructor certification.
- Can a CHWI be affiliated with several training centers?
CHWIs can be affiliated with more than one training center. CHWIs are usually affiliated with the training center they get certified through. If you decide to teach certified CEUs for CHWs or CHWIs with another DSHS- training center, first the training center must agree to affiliate with you and e-mail the affiliation request to DSHS to CHW@dshs.texas.gov for approval. You can be affiliated with several DSHS-certified Training Programs.
- Can a CHWI from New Mexico (NM) be affiliated with a CHW training center in Texas (and vice versa)?
To be certified in the state of Texas, you must be a Texas resident, meaning you must have a permanent address in Texas. There are several other states that either have existing CHWI certification, CHWI groups, or CHWI Training Centers, so it is advised to look to your state’s health services department to learn more about certification. Please visit New Mexico’s Office of Community Health Workers (OCHW) website for more information on their policies.
- If I am affiliated with the OBPH CHW Training Center, can I have my certified training announced?
Yes, visit the DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program website and scroll down to “Announcements of Upcoming Training”.
- What must be included in DSHS certified continuing education curriculum for CHWs/CHWIs?
Please visit the Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program Policy, Section D.-Certification of Training Programs-Curricula (page 5), under “Continuing education for CHWs or CHW Instructors curricula” for the list of requirements.
- What are the requirements to have a CHW/CHWI/Promotor(a) training certified under the OBPH CHW Training Center?
Step 1: Present the OBPH CHW Training Center with a curriculum proposal by filling out the Training Curriculum Proposal Form (see Question #4 for details on the form) and sending it via e-mail to OBPHCHWTrainingCenter@dshs.texas.gov
Step 2: OBPH CHW Training Center will review your proposal and will follow up via email with the next steps.
- What If my organization does not have a certified CHW Instructor to teach certified OBPH CHW training? Can we use a guest instructor?
Yes, guest instructor(s) may provide a one-time training under the supervision of a certified CHW Instructor affiliated with the OBPH CHW Training Center. Please visit the DSHS Community Health Worker (CHW) or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program Guest Instructor Procedure form for further guidance.
Request guest instructor approval for a training that is certified under the OBPH by filling out the Guest Instructor Request Form and emailing it to OBPHCHWTrainingCenter@dshs.texas.gov.
Note: If you already know you will have a guest instructor when submitting your Training Program Curriculum Submission Form to the OBPH, fill out the section under the “Guest Instructor” section using the Curriculum Submission form, this will suffice instead of filling out the “Guest Instructor Request Form”.
OBPH will email the Guest Instructor Form to CHW@dshs.texas.gov for review and approval and notify you when it is approved.
- Can my certified CHW training center borrow a DSHS-certified curriculum from the OBPH CHW Training Center or other certified CHW training centers?
If you want to borrow a curriculum that is already DSHS-certified from another certified training center:
Step 1: The certified training center requesting the curriculum, needs to obtain a Curriculum Authorization Release Letter or E-mail from the other certified training center stating that you have the authorization to use their curriculum.
Step 2: The certified training center sharing its curriculum with another certified training center must email the Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program at chw@dshs.texas.gov confirming the information on the Curriculum Authorization Release Letter (name of the training curriculum being shared, the name of the requesting organization, and the conditional release of the curriculum)
Step 3: The Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program will then share the curriculum with the requesting certified training center once they receive the e-mail from the training center sharing the curriculum.
Step 4 (optional): If needing to update/revise a borrowed DSHS-certified curriculum (with OBPH authorization):
As required by the Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program Policy, Section D. Certification of Training Programs (page 5), a training program may submit an addendum when revising a current certified curriculum. However, if more than 45% of the curriculum is changed, the training program that submitted the training for initial certification will need to resubmit the curriculum for certification.
Visit the Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program “Shareable Curriculum List” for a list of approved DSHS-certified CHW/CHWI curricula that can be shared among training programs.
- When two CHW training centers collaborate on training, who would claim the number of CHWs/CHWIs trained?
The CHW Training Center that created the curriculum will always be the owner and developer of the curriculum. When a curriculum is shared with another certified CHW training center, the training center borrowing the curriculum to use for training in their region will receive the credit for the number of CHWs/CHWIs trained. When the approval memo is received by the training and certification program, allowing the sharing of the curriculum, it will note on there the curriculum developer.