Latino Health Access promoters recognized during National Community Health Workers Week
Santa Ana — On Aug. 30 at a Spanish-language press conference outside of Latino Health Access’ Downtown Family Resource Center in Santa Ana, Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento honored local health workers as a part of National Community Health Worker Awareness Week.
Although the podium faced out into the sunny parking lot at 450 W. 4th, Sarmiento turned to the rows of Latino Health Access promotores standing behind him.
“The work you do here has an effect on the community,” said Sarmiento, in Spanish.
Latino Health Access is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and empowering community health workers and addressing health inequities in Latino communities in Santa Ana and beyond. Latino Health Access promotores, also known as community health workers, are an essential part of the community-based health education and prevention work the organization does.
“This is something that promotores do on an ongoing basis. They are in the streets, they engage people, they knock on doors, they are in the markets, they are in the laundromats finding the people,” said America Bracho, executive director of Latino Health Access. Her remarks have been translated.
Latino Health Access promotores focus on four main areas: outreach, creating spaces, services and mechanics. The organization has also pioneered the community health worker model by hiring promotores from the communities they are trying to reach.
“The majority of the people that work at Latino Health Access live in the communities that they serve,” said Bracho. “Our community workers actually live in the conditions we are fighting to improve.”
By providing culturally and linguistically appropriate promotores, Latino Health Access is able to reach populations that have been historically underserved and uninsured.
“They are super stars at creating relationships with others, connecting as equals,” said Bracho. “So this is not about me being better than you. It is about let’s do this together and providing you with support and information so you can make your own decision.”
Besides Sarmiento, Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Jessie Lopez attended the event along with members of the Latino Health Access Promotor Learning Institute and the Assn. of Community Health Workers.
The press conference also announced the proclamation of the National Community Health Week in Orange County, as part of a nationwide effort to highlight the contributions of community health workers like the promotores at Latino Health Access. Santa Ana officially proclaimed Aug. 28 to Aug. 31 as National Community Health Workers Week.
“We are celebrating Community Health Worker Week, which is now a national celebration honoring the many community workers in our nation that are truly transforming our community,” Bracho said.
A 2022 community impact report by Latino Health Access showed that 81% of participants they served said they learned new information from outreach efforts, while 75% of participants they served said they learned new skills from their various work shops.
Latino Health Access believes community health workers can have a positive effect on patient access to preventive services and in improving disease outcomes for patients with asthma, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and depression.
The impact of community health workers was especially apparent during the pandemic, Bracho said.
“It was pretty obvious during COVID-19,” she said. “The ones in the street taking the message to people were community health workers. Saving lives, literally.”
Latino Health Access was responsible for spearheading early efforts to set up testing sites in the community and later vaccination clinics within local businesses.
And, Bracho emphasizes, community health workers’ jobs aren’t done once patients receive care.
“We don’t forget about people once the service is provided,” said Bracho. “We do relationships. It is long-term care.”
To learn more about Latino Health Access, visit Latinohealthaccess.org.
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