Integrating the chw/promotor(a) model into contemporary healthcare systems

Engaging minority and urban populations is a key element to increasing access to health care, decreasing health disparities, and promoting healthy lifestyles. With 30 years of experience designing and implementing direct service Promotor(a) de Salud programs in farmworker, border, and other underserved communities, Migrant Health Promotion (MHP) is committed to promoting the Community Health Worker/Promotores(as) model to other organizations working with minority groups. Through its federally funded training and technical assistance program, MHP creates supportive partnerships with agencies serving minority populations to foster the development and growth of CHW/Promotor(a) programs nationwide. In this interactive presentation, MHP will highlight how its innovative training and technical assistance can serve as a model and approach for the development of strong, linguistically and culturally competent outreach and intervention services that can help guide and prepare agencies and other providers for sustainable program development. Additionally, MHP will introduce a variety of tools and resources to assist CHW/Promotor(a) program development including but not limited to health education manuals, teaching notes, implementation guides and evaluation toolkits. Special attention will be paid to the use of popular adult education methodologies and their effectiveness on individual learning. Linking popular education with our current efforts, MHP demonstrates the value of popular education with minority populations. We will focus on the use of the CHW/Promotor(a) model to assess minority health and outcomes including community progress, increased knowledge, and healthier communities.