Briscoe Library Hosts Community Health Worker CEU Day
Hosted by the UT Health Briscoe Library, Texas area Community Health Workers (CHWs) attended a continuing education day focusing on Chagas disease in Texas. This is the 2nd year one of the quarterly CEU Days has been located on the UT Health campus thanks to an ongoing collaboration between the Library and Dr. Fernando Martinez, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Community Health Worker Program at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio.
Chagas disease is transmitted to humans, as well as animals, by the Triatomine or Kissing Bug. Due to the occasional lack of symptoms or flu-like symptoms, people are often unaware that they are infected. Between 2013 and 2016, there were 91 cases of Chagas disease diagnosed in Texas. The CHWs attending the day learned about Chagas disease as well as how to improve awareness of the disease among the public and clinicians. For more information on Chagas disease, see the link below.
The Community Health Worker program at Northwest Vista College prepares students to work in public health, private health care delivery systems, community-based social service agencies, and health care insurance organizations. Community Health Workers provide services to increase wellness and improve access to health services through outreach activities to target populations.
In Texas, Community Health Worker programs are certified by the Texas State Department of Health as an authorized and certified training site for Community Health Workers. Senate Bill 1051 (77th Texas Legislative Sessions) calls for the Texas Department of State Health Services to establish and operate a training and certification program for persons who act as promotores or community health workers, instructors and sponsoring institutions/training programs.
Curtis-Robles R, Wozniak EJ, Auckland LD, Hamer GL, Hamer SA (2015) Combining Public Health Education and Disease Ecology Research: Using Citizen Science to Assess Chagas Disease Entomological Risk in Texas. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 9(12): e0004235. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0004235
http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0004235