ISSUES: With poverty rates nearly double the state average, California’s Central Valley is riddled with health inequities that
disproportionately impact Latinas. We used community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods to understand barriers to reproductive health, wellbeing and healthcare access faced by Latinas in the Central Valley; engage and empower community members as co- researchers; build capacity; and promote reproductive justice. DESCRIPTION: Mi Salud, Mi Voz (My Health, My Voice) is a partnership between the Sexual Health and Reproductive Equity Program at the University of California, Berkeley and California Latinas for Reproductive Justice. Through this CBPR project, we worked with Latinas in Bakersfield and Visalia, CA as community researchers. We used Photovoice methodology to surface important topics related to women's health and collaborated with the community researchers to develop a survey of Latinas residing in the nine counties of the Central Valley. LESSONS LEARNED: Working with community researchers was beneficial in multiple ways, including providing the researchers with knowledge of the health issues most important locally, as well as empowering community members to voice their concerns within their communities. Designing and refining the survey with community researchers resulted in an instrument that reflected the values and needs of women in the region. Challenges included difficulties with scheduling, institutional review board approval, and retention. Additionally, the Photovoice process showed that our initial research question was not salient to the community researchers. The CBPR approach provided an opportunity to shift focus for the survey and to produce data most relevant to the community researchers.