Making our voices heard: Latino Community Ambassadors forging community and system changes in South Carolina

South Carolina has one of the fastest-growing new Latino populations in the country, yet its health care institutions face important challenges in providing the population with adequate health services and resources. The population faces numerous barriers including fear and discrimination brought on by anti-immigrant legislation. The Puentes Project goal is two-fold. The first goal is to build on the strengths and leadership abilities of emerging Latino leaders by helping them develop additional skill sets. The second goal is to establish a collaborative model of decision-making and two-way communication between these community representatives and the decision-makers in the health care field. Thirty-two Latino leaders were selected through an extensive interview process and are participating in a two-year training model involving leadership, communication, reproductive health and English language skills. The team is one-forth male, and represents the diversity of Latino immigrants with regards to country of origin, income levels, ages, and experiences. Preliminary evaluation results show that the Community Ambassador team has much experience supporting their peer groups in their home countries, and that with increased language skills and information on resource navigation and systems functioning they are committed to doing peer-to-peer education and participating in decision-making processes. Also, data from health organizations and their leaders shows that while some have made progress in meeting the needs of Latino immigrants, many are looking to the Ambassadors for confirmation of their efforts and additional strategies to help them provide more quality services.