Community Health Worker Programs

ST-AHEC Project ECHO 2026

We’re excited to announce a new chapter in community engagement and professional development at South Texas AHEC: beginning January 2026, we will launch a quarterly Project ECHO series aimed at addressing key public health challenges across South Texas.

2026 ECHO Series Lineup
Each quarter will spotlight a different topic of public health importance:

January–March: Colon Cancer Awareness and Prevention
April–June: Teen Parenting Skills and Family Health
July–September: Autism Spectrum Disorders
October–December: Mental Health and Resilience in Communities

These sessions will be designed to promote best practices, build capacity among providers, and create a space for collaborative learning across disciplines and geographies.

In our CHW programs (English and Spanish), CHWs are able to claim FREE Texas DSHS Continuing Education Credits for each of the sessions attended.

For more information, please get in touch with Joe Zapata at zapata@uthscsa.edu 

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CHW Training Institute

The AHEC Promotores of South Texas Training Program is certified by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) as a certified Community Health Worker (CHW) Training program. The program was developed to train CHWs/Promotores to help bridge the healthcare gap for our rural and underserved communities with an overarching goal of a healthier community. The program is head quartered at the South Coastal AHEC and is directed by Belinda Flores.

Opportunities offered include: 160-hour CHW Certification course and CE programming tailored to meet the needs of the community. The program is available in 26 counties serviced by Southwest Border AHEC, LRGV AHEC and South Coastal AHEC.

Upon graduation from the CHW Certification Program, certified community health workers have worked in a variety of settings including:

Health promotion projects
County health departments
Hospitals and clinics
Non-profit organizations

For more information, contact Belinda Flores by email at FloresB3@uthscsa.edu or 361-881-8133

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2026 Red de Promotora del Sur de Tejas

The Red de Promotoras del Sur de Tejas is a Spanish-language-only initiative that offers continuing education, support, and networking opportunities to CHWs and Promotoras who have completed our Spanish-language CHW-COVID-19 Health Equity Project ECHO. To date, the project has completed seven series, engaging nearly 200 Spanish-speaking CHWs. This initiative strengthens community health by promoting culturally relevant health education and leveraging the trusted role of CHWs to improve outcomes in underserved areas. Building on the proven impact of CHWs in reducing disease and bridging healthcare gaps, the Red de Promotoras del Sur de Tejas will continue to support CHWs in delivering high-quality, culturally competent health resources to their communities.

For more information, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Martha Castilla at castillam@uthscsa.edu

La Red de Promotoras del Sur de Tejas es una iniciativa exclusivamente en español que ofrece educación continua, apoyo y oportunidades de conexión para trabajadores comunitarios de la salud (CHWs) y Promotoras que han completado nuestro proyecto en español CHW-COVID-19 Health Equity Project ECHO. Hasta la fecha, el proyecto ha completado siete series, involucrando a casi 200 CHWs de habla hispana. Esta iniciativa fortalece la salud comunitaria al promover educación en salud culturalmente relevante y aprovechar el papel confiable de los CHWs para mejorar los resultados en áreas desatendidas. Basándose en el impacto comprobado de los CHWs en la reducción de enfermedades y el cierre de brechas en el acceso a la atención médica, la Red de Promotoras del Sur de Tejas continuará apoyando a los CHWs en la entrega de recursos de salud de alta calidad y culturalmente competentes a sus comunidades.

Para más información, no dude en ponerse en contacto con Martha Castilla en castillam@uthscsa.edu