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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Hugo Mora-Torres, BS, MA and Jose Mario Tercero, BA. Community Health Promotions, The Health Trust, 1701-A South Bascom Ave, San Jose, CA 95008, 408-961-9894, mariot@healthtrust.org

Oral health disparities amongst Latinos and African-American populations pervade. In an effort to address oral health, health literacy, and access to dental care Promotoras in San Jose, CA committed themselves to three low-income neighborhoods. Through extensive outreach and home meetings with families a solid base of community members have received oral health education that is culturally and linguistically appropriate, effective, and substantive. These promotoras gained the trust of the community and are now finding themselves more in demand but also finding new ways to serve the community.

Oral health programming provided an entry point into these communities allowing promotores to gain the trust of residents. Because of this trust community members are communicating their needs to the promotoras. As a result the implementation of parenting classes, home meetings on a variety of other health topics, health insurance enrollment and referral, and other programming are available as resources to the community. Community members are taking greater initiative, through empowerment and leadership by promotoras in their area. They are organizing home meetings on oral health, volunteering at health fairs, and participating in activities of the local community center. In effect the work of Promotoras illustrates their role as more than just community health educator but also needs-assessors, implementers of change, and community empowerment.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize and assess community needs while providing education
• List five means of engaging community members
• Develop leadership amongst community members
• Create sustainable partnerships with community members, other community resources as a means of developing community

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered