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Community & public health

Community Health Worker

CHW

A Texas state credential with a competency framework.

Texas DSHS certifies Community Health Workers (Promotores) on a competency-based curriculum — newly 180 hours across 9 core competencies as of 2026 — or a 1,000-hour supervised-service pathway. It’s less hands-on skills and more training-hour and competency tracking, but the state-export and renewal machinery fit cleanly.

Texas-regulated credential

At a glance

Credential
Texas DSHS CHW certification
Exam
Competency-based curriculum (no single exam)
Regulator
Texas DSHS Promotor(a)/CHW Program
Hours
180 hrs / 9 competencies (2026) · or 1,000 hrs supervised service · Competency + service-hour credential

Competency model

Competency hours + DSHS export
$51,030

median · $24.53/hr

+11%

2024–2034 · much faster than average

~7,800

openings / year

Texas

state-regulated

Why the demand: Health-equity funding and payer investment in community-based prevention and navigation. — BLS OOH, Community Health Workers, May 2024.

The program

What students master.

The curriculum maps to the credential — every competency below becomes a tracked, signed-off record inside the platform.

1

Core competencies

  • Communication & advocacy
  • Service coordination
  • Health promotion
  • Capacity building
2

Community practice

  • Cultural mediation
  • Outreach & education
  • Resource navigation
  • Ethics & documentation
3

Certification & renewal

  • 180 training hours (9 × 20)
  • or 1,000-hour service pathway
  • 2-year certification
  • 20 CEU renewal

On the platform

How AscendantCare runs CHW.

This isn't a new build — it's the CNA compliance backbone, configured. The same ledgers, the same sign-off, the same inspection-grade records.

  • 1

    State-regulated, export-friendly

    DSHS oversight + a competency framework means the state-export and renewal rails apply directly.

  • 2

    Competency-hour tracking

    The 180-hour / 9-competency structure (or the 1,000-hour service pathway) tracks as hour buckets with supervisor verification.

  • 3

    Funder-report ready

    Completion and outcome data export to grant-narrative formats for the 501(c)(3)s that run these programs.

The competitive edge

A Texas-regulated credential whose grant-funded operators desperately need clean, exportable outcome data.

On the roadmap

Roadmap — strong Texas portfolio play.

Enrollment

Who can enroll.

Six-gate enrollment compliance verifies every prerequisite before a student starts — and flags anything missing.

Age 16+
Proof of Texas residency
No HS diploma required to enter

Run Community Health Worker on rails built for inspection.

Book a 30-minute call. We'll show you exactly how CHW maps onto the platform — and where it sits on the build sequence.

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