The mission of the Promotoras project is to promote healthy living among the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County area's 6,000+ Hispanic residents. It is anticipated that over the course of one year, thirty (30) Hispanic women will learn disease prevention, simple assessments of selected health problems, and begin to help their neighbors access appropriate health and human resources.
The Blue Ridge Area Health Education Center (BRAHEC) received a $38,529 grant award over two years from the Virginia Health Care Foundation to initiate a Hispanic lay health promoter program, a replication of the Cross-Over Lay Health program in Richmond. To accomplish this, the program trains lay health promoters (promotoras) to promote healthy living through health education contacts within the local Hispanic communities. Additionally, the promotoras provide information about how to access community health and human service resources. Each promotora is equipped with a Spanish-language community-based health and human services directory to facilitate access to primary health care.
The program is designed to be sensitive to cultural concerns, including the use of home remedies, and the program staff have found that participants learn a great deal from each other. The promotoras are provided with opportunities for education, career advancement, and project recognition.
Since 1992, the Southside AHEC has established itself as a regional leader in developing community partnerships with health and social service providers, school systems, public health departments, and others to improve health and access to care for their predominately rural population. Southside AHEC is working with the Piedmont Health District to conduct cardiovascular risk reduction programs in African-American churches in four counties. Other projects include reducing health-risk behaviors at Randolph Henry High School through an innovative Internet program, testing senior citizens for health literacy in Hopewell, and conducting child care assessments in 11 counties as part of contracts with two Head Start programs.
