Promotoras and EPICO: Education to promote improved cancer outcomes

ÉPICO: Education to Promote Improved Cancer Outcomes is a training program on prevention, treatment and healthy survivorship for colorectal, breast and cervical cancers among at-risk residents living along the Texas-Mexico border. The focal strategy is to train and utilize promotores to deliver tailored education that improves access to comprehensive cancer services for Hispanic residents. Project activities include: 1) project promotores enroll and complete CHW instructor program; 2) promotores trained in focus group moderation; 3) promotores conducted focus groups to inform training module development; 4) development of bilingual training modules; 5) pilot test trainings and curriculum revision; 6) conduct training sessions and evaulations; and 7) promotores implement tailoring-based training in their outreach activities and administer evaluation tool. To date, as part of the project, six part-time promotores became Texas Department of State Health Services certified Community Health Worker Instructors, who then had a key role in developing and delivering nine different cancer training modules providing certified CHW CEUs. Approximately 500+units of training were provided April-September to promotores who are currently educating an estimated 5,000 residents through their daily outreach activities. Additional activities for year two include: packaging curriculum and deliver trainings to promotores in six urban-centers in Texas; analyzing evaluation data; and disseminating results. The specific aims ÉPICO include: 1) equip promotores to educate residents on prevention, treatment, and survivorship issues related to colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers; 2) enable promotores to use tailoring strategies to improve their outreach efforts; and 3) increase residents' prevention, treatment, and healthy survivorship behaviors.