175315 Improving the Level of Health Education and Outreach to Accommodate the Needs of the Diverse Asian American Community --- the Health Promoters Program

Monday, October 27, 2008: 8:35 AM

Anne Marie Cavan Poblador, BA , Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Health and Human Services, Asian American Health Initiative, Rockville, MD
Julie Bawa, MPH , Asian American Health Initiative, Rockville, MD
     
Asian Americans in Montgomery County, Maryland constitute 13.3% of the County's population, nearly equivalent to the African and Latino population. Despite the numerous health services that the County offers, not all are available to Asian Americans. The reasons behind this differ; many are due to the lack of awareness of health issues and available health services, low socioeconomic status, and cultural and linguistic barriers.

To overcome these challenges, the Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI) under the Montgomery County DHHS launched the Health Promoters Program 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 and education. 3. Provide education about access and utilization of County health services. 4. Aid in client care coordination. 5. Assist in gaining entry into Asian American communities. Through collaboration with MOTA (Minority Outreach Technical Assistance) and other minority initiatives, health promoters learn various outreach strategies to meet the needs of their targeted population.

To effectively educate this diverse community, AAHI health promoters are trained to educate about health topics that deeply affect Asian Americans such as cancer, hepatitis B, osteoporosis, and diabetes. AAHI has recruited 28 bilingual health promoters proficient in 10 different Asian languages. They have assisted AAHI in 21 health events since July 2007 educating more than 2,000 individuals. The Health Promoters Program maintains a culturally tailored, delivery method of outreach that lays the foundation for the improvement of the health of Asian Americans in Montgomery County.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the most common challenges to accessing health services for Asian Americans in Montgomery County, Maryland. For example: language, culture, limited literacy, low socioeconomic status, etc.) 2. Recognize the need for bilingual health promoters in the Asian American community. For example: community members are unaware of available resources and lack adequate knowledge on various diseases. 3. Discuss five ways in which the Asian American Health Initiative’s Health Promoters Program Model has been effective in reaching the diverse Asian Americans in Montgomery County, Maryland. (Health Promoters are able to: 1. Act as a resource in their community. 2. Educate about the importance of prevention through education and screenings. 3. Inform Asian Americans about access and utilization of County health programs. 5. Provide access to isolated communities.)

Keywords: Health Promotion, Asian Americans

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am in charge of the Health Promoters Program at the Asian American Health Initiative.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Culturally-appropriate Public Health Approaches in Asian & Pacific Islander Communities
See more of: Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of APHA