Promoting cancer awareness in underserved communities throughout Tampa Bay, Florida: Showcasing the benefits of natural helpers

Lay Health Advisors (LHAs) or community health workers are considered natural helpers in the community who are trained as partners to help address issues related to social justice in communities by reaching underserved populations. This model has been deemed a culturally appropriate strategy to address a multitude of issues including community health. The development of LHAs has become very popular across the United States and in some cases have shown effectiveness. However, the roles and expectations of LHAs vary between programs, creating the need for many organizations to design individual training orientations. The Center for Equal Health, a partnership between the University of South Florida, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, and the Tampa Bay Community is committed to reducing health disparities in urban and rural settings by training LHAs from underserved communities who are prepared to help network, find resources, and build bridges in their own community as well as the communities around them. This requires a unique training orientation that: a) lays out the roles and expectations of the LHA, b) provides the LHA with known resources and contacts, and c) trains LHAs to find more resources that can be used to fill gaps that exist in different communities. We will present the process of creating the initial LHA training materials and conducting the training curriculum modules which includes, Working with the Community, Cancer 101, Health Disparities, and Clinical Trials and the Community. Evaluation feedback from the training sessions will be discussed and LHAs will assist with the presentation.