Abstract
Promotoras Victoriosas: Community Outreach Pilot Program for Latin American Immigrant Families
APHA 2022 Annual Meeting and Expo
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and, in many ways, exacerbated the health inequities that currently exist in the United States; it disproportionately impacted BIPOC and immigrant communities. The need to improve communication and outreach strategies became imperative to establish sustained connections to hard-to-reach communities often facing systemic health disparities that are impacted before, during, and after emergent health crises. As a result, local health departments are engaging emerging and established non-traditional public health partners in health equity strategies. In spring 2022, the New Bedford Health Department (NBHD) and Partners In Health United States (PIH-US) will launch a pilot program with Mujeres Victoriosas, grassroots organizing and leadership development program for Central American women within the Community Economic Development Center (CEDC), a local nonprofit. This program will establish a fee-for-service community health worker (CHW) training model for immigrant women of color. The program’s purpose is twofold: first, training and supporting community members as CHWs. CHW's will serve as partners to NBHD in order to provide services to historically underserved groups more effectively. Second, the program will increase career advancement opportunities for immigrant Latina women, through skill and leadership development.
This session will give a brief description of the model, its core components, and lessons learned from the implementation of the program. Discussion will highlight opportunities for local health departments and organizations to collaborate with informal leaders and establish mutually beneficial relationships with a long-term engagement goal.