Emerging Role of Community Health Workers as Leaders, Educators, and Liaisons for Their Communities

Effective strategies to address the disparities in health care and outcomes experienced by Latinos require strong links and communication between the health care system, health care providers, and the communities they serve. No entity in our health care system can exist alone and truly be successful; rather, they must collaborate with each other and integrate research, education, evaluation, access, prevention, treatment, and recovery to effectively reduce health disparities among Hispanics.

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) views promotores de salud (lay health educators) as an essential part of the health care equation: a part that brings the underserved out of the shadows and into the community clinics and programs developed for needed services. NCLR's model for developing and evaluating promotores de salud interventions has demonstrated an ability to bridge the gap between the health care system and the members of communities they aim to serve. NCLR-trained promotores have demonstrated the ability to competently reach their communities and serve as educators, advocates, and liaisons to enhance and extend the health care services that commonly do not reach immigrant Hispanics.

Evaluation results show that NCLR's model is effective in reaching and demonstrating behavior change among segments of the Latino community. Additionally, data show that promotores also serve as a critical link for underserved Hispanics to the health care system.