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.
