The South Texas Community Health Worker Workforce Preparedness Collaboration (STCWPC) is led by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and joined by key CHW workforce development programs at Northwest Vista College, the South Texas Area Health Education Centers (ST-AHECs), Cardea Services, and El Buen Samaritano. The STCWPC aims to increase the CHW workforce by recruiting culturally similar community advocates for comprehensive training and professional development to serve medically underserved urban and rural populations living in 38 South Texas counties. The counties in this region face higher than average health disparities and score higher on Social Vulnerability scores than the rest of the state. Although Community Health Workers are well established in the region, the current population of certified CHWs is aging, does not serve rural counties, and Spanish speaking CHWs are not recertifying. To address these CHW workforce gaps and prepare the next generation of CHWs to address health disparities by serving with interdisciplinary teams of clinicians, public health professionals and social service agencies, the STCWPC aims to achieve the following Goals: Goal 1 (Curriculum Design): Enhance CHW certification and continuing education curricula by designing new training modules and content that include the eight domains of public health core competencies for three Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) certified training programs in South Texas. Goal 2 (Expansion): Recruit and enroll 275 new trainees from underserved urban and rural communities in 38 South Texas counties in a DSHS-approved CHW certification training program. Goal 3 (Extension/Upskill): Upskill 75 CHWs serving marginalized populations in urban and rural communities in 38 South Texas counties using enhanced continuing education modules that incorporate public health core competencies. Goal 4 (Experiential Learning): Place at least 75% of new CHW
trainees with healthcare, public health and social service agencies serving underserved urban and rural communities in 38 South Texas to complete internships, service-learning projects and registered apprenticeships. These goals will contribute to the Rural Health, Public Health, COVID-19, and Health Literacy clinical priorities outlined by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA). To achieve these goals we will create three workgroups: Curriculum Design, Trainee Recruitment & Training, and Experiential Learning. Faculty from UTHSCSA, in collaboration with experts from Cardea Services, El Buen Samaritano and the certified CHW training sites will be responsible for designing new and enhanced curricula that address the eight domains of public health core competencies. Faculty and certified CHW Instructors at Northwest Vista College, ST-AHECs and the University of Texas Education and Research Center at Laredo will lead new trainee recruitment, training and CHW recertification training. These same training centers, with support from an expanded network of clinical, social service and public health agencies including UTHSCSA Schools of Medicine and Nursing, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, University Hospital and Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend will provide experiential learning opportunities through internships and creation of the first registered CHW apprenticeship program in South Texas. The STCWPC is requesting $2,964,130 in funding over three years, and meets HRSA’s Funding Preferences due to the Northwest Vista College and ST-AHEC CHW training programs meeting two requirements: 1) more than 50% of CHW trainees came from disadvantaged backgrounds in the prior two years and 2) more than 50% of trainees who become certified CHWs work in federally designated Medically Underserved Areas or in Health Profession Shortage Areas.