Health is intimately connected to the way in which people in a culture construct reality and give and find meaning. When Hispanics use health care services, they are more likely to use emergency rooms than to see a primary care physician. Barriers leading to inadequate access to and utilization of health care services for Hispanics include language, cultural differences, lack of finances, and transportation. Funded by the Virginia Health Care Foundation, the Hispanic Lay Health Promoter Program (Promotoras de Salud) is a model that promotes healthy living. The mission of this project is to empower the Hispanic communities to become participants, partners, and directors of their health care and community development. Through a ten-week, 40-hour, culturally sensitive, Spanish language curriculum, thirty Hispanic women learn disease prevention, simple assessments of selected health problems, and begin to help their neighbors, families, and coworkers access appropriate health and human service resources. The program provides continuing education to and supports employment opportunities in health care for its graduates. See www.brahec.jmu.edu/promotoras.htm
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to: 1. Describe a Hispanic lay health promoter program curriculum model 2. Discuss the components of the ten-week curriculum. 3. List curriculum resources, both basic and continuing education 4. Identify method of program outcome measurement
Keywords: Community-Based Health Promotion, Immigrant Women
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Blue Ridge AHEC at James Madison University
Virginia Health Care Foundation
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Principal Investigator of Grant Award by the Virginia Health
Care Foundation and employed by the Blue Ridge AHEC at James
Madison University