In Texas, you must be certified by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to work as a Community Health Worker (CHW) or Promotor(a) if you get paid for your services. This is a requirement per the Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 48.

For more information about the requirements for CHWs, Promotores de Salud, or CHWI certifications, please visit the DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program CHW Certification Requirements website.

To become certified, you must apply through the DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program. There is no cost for certification.

DSHS-certified CEUs are continuing education units earned from courses or materials reviewed and approved by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). These courses must be taught by a certified instructor under an approved training program, as stated in the Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program Policy, Section B. Definitions (page 2). For DSHS-certified CEUs, the Promotor(a) or Community Health Worker Training and Certification Program must:

• Be certified by the DSHS (i.e., the OBPH Training Center is a certified training program)
• Have its curricula approved
• Have certified instructors leading the courses

Non-certified CEUs are earned from education or training that the DSHS has not reviewed. These units still relate to the role of a Promotor(a), CHW, or CHWI and cover at least one of the core competencies outlined in the Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program Policy, Section B. Definitions. 

If a certified CHW from Texas completes a course for continuing education in another state, that would be counted as non-certified CEU hours. Please visit New Mexico’s Office of Community Health Workers (OCHW) website and/or email them at Comm.HealthWorker@state.nm.us for more information on their policies.

No, you cannot.  To renew your certification, the CEUs you complete must be within two years of your initial certification or the last time your certification expired. For example, if you get certified tomorrow, you cannot claim any CEUs completed before that certification date. 

Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Community Health Worker Instructors (CHWIs) must complete 20 CEUs to renew their certification every two years. 

• For CHW Certification Renewal: 
  • The Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program-CHW Certification Renewal Requirements web page provides a possible breakdown of CEUs for CHWs.
  • For the renewal application in English and Spanish, visit the CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Renewal web page.
• For CHWI Certification Renewal: 
  • The Texas DSHS CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification Program-CHW Instructor Certification Renewal Requirements web page provides a possible breakdown of CEUs for CHWIs.
  • For the renewal application in English and Spanish, visit the CHW or Promotor(a) Training and Certification web page. 

Check the CHW and Instructor Training Programs web page for a list of DSHS-Certified Training Programs that offer continuing education courses for CHWs.