UNT Health’s CHW Training Center expands rural Texas health care workforce
When Sandy Haby began working in healthcare, she did not expect her career to lead
her into building a community health worker workforce in rural West Texas. Haby, a
San Angelo native and director of population health and care management at Shannon
Health, began her community health work in 2019 after a career as a medical assistant.
As she learned about the social factors affecting her patients’ health, she seized
the opportunity to help others address needs that extend beyond the walls of a hospital.
That work led Haby to become a certified community health worker and later a certified community health worker instructor through UNT Health’s Community Health Worker Training Center in Fort Worth. Now, she is helping expand that work at Shannon Health. What began as a team of one has grown to 26 CHWs serving patients in San Angelo and the surrounding region.
CHWs help patients navigate barriers that affect their health, including food insecurity, housing instability and reliable transportation. Working alongside other members of the health care system, CHWs allow social workers to focus on needs that require their specialized expertise while they provide ongoing navigation, support and follow-up.
“We bridge healthcare gaps to the home,” Haby said.
The need is particularly significant in rural Texas, where patients can face geographic and other barriers to accessing health and social services. UNT Health likewise identifies community health workers as an important part of addressing health care access and other challenges in rural Texas.
Haby reached out to Teresa Wagner, DrPH, director of UNT Health’s State Certified Community Health Worker Training Center, for advice on how to establish and grow the program at Shannon Health.
“I was excited to hear about Sandy’s plans,” Wagner said. “The elevation she achieved by bringing the resources to San Angelo is a great accolade to the CHW Training Center for having facilitated her growth.
“She is a case study of why we do what we do. The goal of the center is for those who become certified to find meaningful work, but it is always great when someone wants to continue the work.”
UNT Health’s Community Health Worker Training Center is certified by the Texas Department of State Health Services and offers certification for both CHWs and CHWIs. The center’s training is designed to build workforce capacity and improve care continuity, health literacy and access to resources, particularly in communities affected by health inequities.
The center’s current training follows Texas requirements for CHW certification. As of 2026, the state’s updated core competencies include communication; interpersonal and relationship-building skills; service coordination and navigation; capacity-building; advocacy; teaching and education; organizational skills; knowledge of specific health issues; and evaluation and research skills. New certification courses must include 180 hours of training.
For Haby, the certification was a way to build on her existing professional experience while developing a new area of expertise.
“I am an avid learner and have always enjoyed being people and patient-facing,” Haby said. “The community health worker certification is a great stepping stone,” Haby said. “Whether you’re working in peer support, drug or alcohol-related cases or with children, the program is a great launch to learning your niche in health care.”
Shannon Health recognized the value of addressing patients’ social needs and has supported the growth of the CHW workforce. The team now works to identify patients’ needs and connect them with resources while extending the reach of the organization’s care management and social work teams.
As Haby has moved into her current leadership role, she has also been able to build additional leadership capacity within the department. She recently promoted an employee into her former manager position, allowing that person to support the growing CHW team.
Haby’s work has also brought recognition outside Shannon Health. She was recently named a recipient of the 2026 Melissa Carter Texas Leadership in Aging Award and was also named a 20 Under 40 honoree by the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce.
For Haby, the growth of the CHW workforce represents more than just adding positions. It is a way to connect patients with help that makes a difference in their long-term health. The work also reflects the role Wagner hopes graduates of the program will play in their own communities, by taking what they learn and finding ways to apply it where they are needed most.