Community Health Worker
Program Type: Face-to-Face, Fully Online, Hybrid
Program Level: Degrees, Certificates, Online
Department: Computer Science, Technology & Business
Institute: Health & Biosciences
College: NVC
Community Health WorkerCoursesLinks of InterestFaculty & StaffApply Now
About the Program
This program prepares students to work as Texas State certified Community Health Workers (CHWs) for local/state public health agencies, non-profit and commercial individual and family services and outpatient/inpatient health care organizations. Emphasis is on health education, health promotion, community health research, advocacy, nutrition and developing relationships with vulnerable individuals, families, and communities. Course work in this program is intended to develop and enhance the skills of community health workers, provide state certification as a CHW, and provide a pathway to the Associate of Applied Science in Community Health.
What will I learn?The program will train students to develop positive relationships with individuals who need assistance and support in developing healthy behaviors, utilizing health/social resources, and gaining educational support to prevent or alleviate the effects of chronic disease. |
What can I do with this course of study?This program prepares students to work in public health, private health care delivery systems, community-based social service agencies, and healthcare insurance organizations. Community Health Workers provide services to increase wellness and improve access to health services through outreach activities to target populations. The Community Health Worker program prepares and trains the students to assist individuals and families to lead more fulfilling and satisfying lives by providing education, increased access to resources and advocacy. |
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Two Pathways Toward CHW Certification
- Students enter as academic credit students meeting all the eligibility required for enrollment in academic credit courses at Northwest Vista College.
- Students enter as continuing education credit students and are enrolled in the identical courses resulting in the identical CHW certification, but a HS diploma or GED is not required. All CE credit courses can be converted to academic courses in the future by completing six hours of academic credit at any Alamo College.
Community Engagement Activities (Photos)
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What will I learn in the Community Health Worker Program?
Students will learn the principles and practices of community health with emphasis on providing nutritional education, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, maintaining wellness, understanding how to navigate state/federal individual and family assistance programs, developing mutually trusting relationships with vulnerable populations, understanding the role of CHWs in conducting research and collecting data, and understanding the health care systems in Bexar County.
Job Outlook
This program prepares students to promote health within a community by assisting individuals and families to adopt healthy behaviors. Serve as an advocate for the health needs of individuals by assisting community residents in effectively communicating with healthcare providers or social service agencies. Function as a liaison or advocate and implement programs that promote, maintain, and improve individual and overall community health. Students will learn how to provide health education material and deliver health-related preventive services such as blood pressure, glaucoma, and eye screenings. Students will also learn how to collect data to help identify community health needs and provide data for community health research projects.
The job outlook as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Standards predicts a 21% growth in employment from 2020 to 2030. The average wage for a CHW in 2021 located in the San Antonio-New Braunfels region is $21.04 per hour or $42,300 annually.
What Jobs Are Available to a Community Health Worker
Nearly 95% of our graduates are finding jobs in Bexar County. Jobs available include CHW, Community Engagement Specialist, Health Program Specialist, Vaccine Outreach Specialist, Health Promotion Worker, Case Management Aide, Patient Navigator, Outreach Worker, and Social Work Assistant.
Available Courses:
CHW Certificate
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CHLT 1301 - Introduction to Community Health CHLT 1340 - Community Health Advocacy CHLT 1305 - Community Nutrition CHLT 1342 - Community Health Field Methods |
CHLT 1302 - Wellness and Health Promotion CHLT 1342 - Community Health Field Methods CHLT 2260 - Clinical - Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling (Internship) |
AAS Community Health
All courses in the CHW certificate plus the following courses.
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ENGL 1301 - Composition I ENGL 1302 - Composition II MATH 1442 - Elementary Statistical Methods or MATH 1314 - College Algebra PSYC 2301 - General Psychology SOCI 1301 - Introductory Sociology BIOL 2401 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I HIST 1301 - United States History I |
PHIL 2306 - Introduction to Ethics SPCH 1315 - Public Speaking SOCI 1306 - Social Problems BIOL 2402 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II SPAN 1411 - Elementary Spanish CHLT 2260 - Clinical - Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling SPAN 1412 - Elementary Spanish II |
NOTE: EDUC 1300 is not required for the AAS in Community Health
Links of Interest
San Antonio Community Health Workers Association (SACHWA)
About the Program Coordinator: Dr. Fernando Martinez
Professor Fernando Martinez, Ph.D. is the Community Health Program coordinator at Northwest Vista College. He has an extensive educational and career experience in hospital administration, community outreach programs, CHW educational programs, and adult education.
Professor Martinez completed a military career in the U.S. Army before joining Santa Rosa Healthcare (Christus Health) as an administrator where he designed and implemented a community wellness and outreach program focusing on the most vulnerable Zip Codes in San Antonio. The outreach program consisted of a mobile health clinic, neighborhood CHWs, community health nurse educators, lay case workers, a pediatric primary care clinic, inner-city physician recruitment, patient transportation, geriatric resource center, and a patient information system. This was the first hospital system-based outreach program in San Antonio.
Professor Martinez also developed a CHW program for the Nicaraguan Scholarship for Peace Program which was later expanded to train CHWs from the entire Caribbean basin.
Education
Dr. Martinez has earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology, University of New Mexico, Master of Science in Environmental Management, University of Texas at San Antonio, Master of Healthcare Administration, Baylor University, and Ph.D., in Education Leadership, University of Texas, Austin
Faculty and Staff
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Contact Us |
Emily Coppin Location: Phone: |
John Grillo Location: Phone: |
Dr. Fernando Martinez, Ph.D Community Health Worker Program Coordinator Location: Phone: |
Guadalupe Cornejo Community Health Worker Program Location: Phone: |