The South Texas CHW Workforce Preparedness Collaborative
About STCWPC
The South Texas CHW Workforce Preparedness Collaborative (STCWPC) was established in 2022 to train Community Health Workers (CHWs), integrate public health competencies into CHW training, and advocate for greater CHW employment.
The Collaborative’s goal is to increase access to health services and address the public health needs of underserved communities in South Texas through the expansion of the community heath workforce.
Expansion of the CHW Workforce in South Texas
In a little over two years, STCWPC has trained more than 300 CHWs in 38 South Texas counties from Brownsville to Laredo, including the area’s rural communities. Many of these newly Texas-state certified CHWs have found employment at clinics, nonprofits and governmental agencies.
Become a STCWPC Employer Partner
In 2024-2025, the Collaborative is actively recruiting employers in South Texas to join STCWPC and become part of its apprenticeship program. To join, an organization or agency must employ a CHW apprentice as they undergo on-the-job training and CHW certification with one of STCWPC’s two CHW training partners.
When you become a STCWPC employer partner, your organization becomes eligible for free CHW training and technical support, mentorship training, and complementary funding for apprenticeship salary support.
To learn more about becoming a STCWPC employer partner, read below and download STCWPC’s Apprenticeship Program brochure.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
STCWPC Contacts:
Dr. Jason Rosenfeld, DrPH, MPH, CHWI
Shayanne Martin, MPH, CHWI, CHW
Email: Martins@Uthscsa.edu, 210-567-0502
STCWPC Collaborative & Supporting Partners:
The Collaborative includes Alamo Community College District’s Northwest Vista College, South Texas AHEC Promotores Program, and Health Confianza.
STCWPC’s supporting partners include: Cardea Services, Workforce Solutions Alamo, Ready to Work SA, and El Buen Samaritano.
STCWPC Funder:STCWPC is part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ (HRSA) Community Health Worker Training Program (CHWTP), a $226.5 million investment to build the nation’s community and public health workforce. |
Join STCWPC
A CHW is a frontline public health worker who is trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. In recent years, employers have recognized the benefits of Community Health Workers (CHWs) to their workplace. In short, CHWs can support an employer’s mission and goals by driving interest in their programs and initiatives through relationship and trust building, referrals and education.
It’s important to note that the CHW role may go by different titles including, but not limited to, Promotor de Salud, community health coordinator, health navigator and peer educator.
STCWPC was created with federal funding to help expand the CHW workforce. Here’s what the Collaborative can offer your organization:
- We provide CHW apprentices with an annual stipend of up to $7,500 to cover training and other associated costs (e.g., dependent care, transportation and technology)
- We provide a $3,750 stipend for a journey person to offset time and effort committed to mentoring apprentices. (A journey person is a Texas DSHS certified and experienced professional in the field)
- We manage all documentation and reporting for the registered program, including all Department of Labor and HRSA required reporting
- We provide technical assistance in the design of apprentice evaluation and on-the-job training activities
- Our partner, Health Confianza, offers free professional development training in areas such as mental health and nutrition
- We collaborate with local and regional workforce programs to support you in finding complimentary funding for apprenticeship training
Like apprenticeships for other trades or professions, a CHW apprenticeship is a structured training program that combines on-the-job learning with classroom instruction, providing individuals with hands-on experience and theoretical knowledge. As an employer engaged in a Community Health Worker (CHW) apprenticeship, you can custom train a CHW for specific needs, provide pathways for mentorship and development opportunities, and build a skilled workforce that is more likely to stay with you after completing the program.
There are three main components of STCWPC’s Apprenticeship Program:
- An apprentice must engage in technical instruction with a STCWPC partner — either at Northwest Vista College or the South Texas AHEC Promotores program — both offer Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)-approved curriculum. New cohorts are established regularly throughout the year.
- An apprenticeship must be competency-based, meaning that employers will design on-the-job training activities to complement the related technical instruction and build the apprentice’s mastery of eight state-approved core CHW competencies.
- Each apprentice is assigned a mentor who is employed by the agency and is an experienced professional in the field — a Journey Person. This individual must be a Texas DSHS-certified and experienced CHW who will provide an apprentice with guidance, support, and practical knowledge. The Journey Person will supervise and mentor the apprentice through experiential, on-the-job training activities designed by the employer. Once the related technical instruction is completed and mastery is achieved, the apprenticeship is complete, and the individual will receive their CHW certification.
A trained CHW Apprentice can/is
- Be molded to the skills and needs of an organization
- Enhance client health and wellness outcomes through education and support
- Assist clients to better manage their health conditions
- Guide clients through the health care system and coordinating services
- Reduce health care costs by preventing unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency room visits
- Identify community needs and outline innovative solutions
- Strengthen community outreach efforts by building relationships with community members and facilitating connections to healthcare and social services resources
- Work with leadership, and marketing and communications professionals on organizational storytelling and materials
- More likely to stay with their employers. 91% of apprentices remain with their employers.
Any employer that provides health or social services, particularly those working with vulnerable or marginalized populations, can benefit from hiring a CHW. Typically, CHWs work in clinics, mental health centers, nursing homes/assisted living facilities, social service agencies, schools, government agencies, faith-based organizations, neighborhood centers, and in the community.
Think Outside the Box
STCWPC promotes the hiring of CHWs by community-based organizations including libraries, pharmacies, insurance companies, low-income housing agencies, and other trusted organizations that are often the first stop for health information.
Upskilling incumbent workers (already employed) is a great way to begin a CHW apprenticeship program. If you have team members that are already doing CHW-like work, but do not have the training and state certification, an apprenticeship program is a great model for meeting your workforce needs. Within the healthcare field, there are many examples of medical assistants completing a CHW apprenticeship to enhance their skills and abilities to better serve patients.
Our experts are available to consult on different types of funding models that may work for your organization, including braided funding. Braided funding is when multiple funding streams are integrated to sustain the salary of a full-time employee. Because braiding involves simultaneous service delivery by two or more systems, it may require interagency coordination and collaboration with this specific goal in mind.