Community Health Worker Renewal
CHW Renewal Application
You must meet these requirements to renew your Community Health Worker (CHW) certification:
- Be a current Texas resident,
- Submit a renewal application every 2 years.
- Complete 20 hours of continuing education units (CEUs) every two years.
- Submit a color photo- Photo Requirements
CHW Renewal Application
Promotor(a)/Community Health Worker Application for Certificate Renewal
Solicitud de Renovación del Certificado del Promotor(a) de Salud [en español]
Renewal Requirements: Continuing Education Units (CEU)
- Your CHW certificate renewal requires continuing education units. There are three types of CEUs. DSHS certified CEUs for CHW. These CEUs are approved by the CHW program
- CEUs completed for another Texas license or certification in another health profession. These must be related to the CHW core competencies.
- Non-certified CEUs. CEUs from training programs and instructors that we did not certify. These must be related to one of more of the core competencies.
You can combine the CEUs in a few different ways.
Option 1:
- All CEUs completed are DSHS certified for CHWs.
Option 2:
- At least 5 DSHS certified CEUs for CHW,
- Up to 5 hours of continuing education you did to renew a Texas license or certification in another health profession,
And
- Ten (10) Non-Certified Continuing Education Units.
Option 3:
- Ten (10) DSHS certified CEUs for CHW
- Any combination of non-certified and DSHS certified CEUs for CHWs to equal 10.
How do I find my CHW certification number and/or expiration date?
- Go to the DSHS Online Licensing Services website.
- Do not create an account.
- Go to "license search" found in the Check License Status or Search for a License (CHW certification number) section.
- Perform a search.
Do you need extra time to complete your CEUs?
You may request an extension of up to 90 days in writing before your certification expires. Only one extension is allowed per two-year certification period. Your written request must be mailed or emailed (chw@dshs.texas.gov), include your name and CHW certification number.
Has your certification been expired for less than a year?
You may renew your expired CHW certification by completing the required continuing education units (CEUs), submitting the CHW renewal application, and a photo if your certificate has been expired for one year or less. Your certification will expire two years from the date the previous certification expired.
Has your certification been expired for more than a year?
You may re-apply if your certification has been expired for more than one year. You must submit an initial application for CHW certification for approval if you wish to regain your certification.
DSHS-Certified CEUs
The Promotor(a) or CHW Training and Certification Program must certify the training program and instructor of a CEU. After that happens, we approve it as a certified CEU.
DSHS-certified Training Programs Offered Online
There are a few training programs that have online courses. These are:
- Cardea Services,
- Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health,
- University of Texas School of Public Health,
- Texas Health Steps Provider Education, and
- HHSC Early Childhood Intervention.
Visit CWH and Instructor Training for a list of all DSHS-certified training programs.
Cardea Services
Cardea Services offers several training courses that we’ve certified. All courses are in English and are free.
If you need help, contact Lori Weber at 512-982-9168 or Lweber@cardeaservices.org.
Free English Training Courses with Cardea Services
|
Title |
An Introduction to Motivational Interviewing |
|
Title |
Gender Diversity 101 |
|
Title |
How do I Help my Clients Make Changes to Improve Their Health? An Introduction to Motivational Interviewing for CHWs |
|
Title |
Linking Clients to Women's Health Programs in Texas |
|
Title |
Opioid Use and Misuse in Women and Girls: Factors, Signs and Next Steps |
|
Title |
Postpartum Depression: How CHWs Can Help |
|
Title |
Presentation and Facilitation Skills |
|
Title |
Raising Awareness and Offering Help for Mental Health and Substance Use |
|
Title |
Self-Management for Chronic Conditions: Helping Clients to Help Themselves 2.5 DSHS-certified CEU (.5 Interpersonal, .5 Capacity building, .5 Communication, 1 knowledge base) |
|
Title |
STD 101: What You Need to Know |
|
Title |
Treating All Patients with Respect: Cultural Proficiency at the Border and Beyond |
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Title |
Using a Trauma-Informed Approach to Care with Border Communities |
|
Title |
Working with Teens to Prevent Pregnancy: Starting the Conversation (Part 1) |
|
Title |
Talking to Teens About Contraceptives (Part 2) |
|
Title |
Trauma-Informed Care in HIV Prevention and Care Services |
Free Training Courses with Texas A&M’s Health Science Center School of Public Health
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Title Registration |
CHW Helping People with Access and Functional Needs Prepare for Disasters |
|
Title |
Communicating Risk Messages |
|
Title |
Community Engagement |
|
Title |
Environmental Health and Children |
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Title |
Family Preparedness |
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Title |
Infection Control |
|
Title |
Mental Health and Disasters |
University of Texas School of Public Health
UT offers several training courses that we’ve certified. All courses are in English and are free.
If you need help, email mch@uth.tmc.edu.
Free English Training Courses with University of Texas School of Public Health
|
Title |
Community Leadership |
|
Title |
Addressing Infant Mortality: Preconception Health |
|
Title |
Cultural Competence & Community Engagement |
|
Title |
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus |
|
Title |
Delivery and First Hour |
|
Title |
Better Together 3: Social Support in Prenatal Care |
|
Title |
Developmental Delays: Fine & Gross Motor Skills |
|
Title |
Nutrition and Exercise for Mental Wellness |
|
Title |
Overview of Mental Wellness |
Texas Health Steps Provider Education
Texas Health Steps offers free English online modules.
Steps for taking the modules:
- Create a Texas Health Steps account.
- Select the “Course” link at the top of the web page.
- Select Promotor(a)/Community Health Worker Training and Certification Program from the “Accreditation” drop-down box in the course finder.
- Select “Find” to search for courses that we've approved for CHWs.
- This makes sure that you get the certificate of completion for CHW/promotores.
- Scroll down to see the DSHS-certified courses.
- Enroll in the course.
- Complete the online pre-test.
- Read all the module content.
- Complete the online post-test.
- Complete the evaluation.
- Print the certificate.
Save the certificate to send it with your CHW renewal application.
View Texas Health Steps registration information.
HHSC Early Childhood Intervention
You can also get a DSHS-certified CEU with ECI’s free webinar. The webinar is called An Introduction to ECI for Community Health Workers. It counts as 1 certified CEU (Competency: Knowledge Base).
When you’ve finished the webinar, send an email to ECI_CEU@hhsc.state.tx.us to get a survey link. After you’ve done the survey, you can download your CEU certificate.
Contact Tammy Miller at 512/776-4326 or tammy.miller@hhsc.state.tx.us if you have questions.
Register for the free webinar.
How to Apply for Renewal
Please send us these documents for your certificate renewal:
- A signed and dated application with all information completed,
- Copies of your CEUs in PDF format, and
- A color photo of your face, like a passport photo, in PDF format.
COVID-19 delays: There may be processing delays with mail applications. We process email and online applications within 90 days in the order we get them.
Tips for Completing Your Application
Download the Promotor(a)/CHW certificate renewal application in English or in Spanish.
What are Some Tips that Could Help Me Complete My Application?
These tips will help you finish your renewal application:
- There isn’t a cost for certification,
- Read the benefits of certification,
- This will explain the benefits of CHW certification,
- Review the application checklist to make sure your application is complete, and
Read the photo requirements to know what guidelines you must follow for your photo submission.