A Promotora Health Education Model for Improving Latino Health Care in California's Central Valley

In order to model an approach to addressing disparities in access to care and utilization of health care services, the University of California, San Francisco, Latino Center for Health Education and Research,in collaboration with the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at California State University, Fresno, developed a demonstration and evaluation of an educational intervention. The feasibility and effectiveness of a culturally-tailored health care access and use education program for Hispanic adults and elders in California's San Joaquin Valley was studied. The educational program was provided by specially trained co-ethnic promotoras (indigenous lay health advisors). The primary goal of the research was to understand if a culturally-tailored educational intervention improves a) knowledge and attitudes with respect to enrollment and utilization of Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP programs, b) knowledge and attitudes about covered preventive services and age-appropriate utilization and c) health literacy. The study also sought to explore the feasibility of recruiting and training promotoras as effective communicators of information about Medicaid and Medicare enrollment and the appropriate use of health care.