Improving health education and outreach to meet the needs of the diverse Asian American community: The Health Promoters Program

Asian Americans are a growing minority in Montgomery County, Maryland. They compose 13.2% of the County's population almost equivalent to the African and Latino population. Although the County offers many health services, not all are accessible to Asian Americans. The reasons behind this vary; many are due to the lack of awareness of the diseases and available health services, low socioeconomic status, and cultural and linguistic barriers. In order to serve this diverse community, the Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI) under the Montgomery County DHHS has developed the Health Promoters Program, an innovative approach in which bilingual community members are trained to: 1. Act as a resource in their community. 2. Educate about the importance of prevention through health screenings. 3. Provide education about access and utilization of County health programs. 4. Assist in client care coordination. 5. Assist in gaining entry into Asian American communities. Because health promoters are community members themselves, they help tailor outreach approaches to fit the needs of the targeted community. To effectively educate the community, AAHI health promoters are trained on outreach strategies and various health topics that affect Asian Americans such as cancer, Hepatitis B, osteoporosis, diabetes, and hypertension. As a result, AAHI has recruited 25 bilingual health promoters proficient in 11 different Asian languages. They have assisted AAHI in over 24 health events since September 2006 educating more than 500 people. The Health Promoters Program sustains a culturally tailored, insightful delivery of outreach that benefits the Asian American community in Montgomery County.