Bethann Witcher Cottrell, PhD, Center for Community Health Transformation, DeKalb County Board of Health, 445 Winn Way, Decatur, GA 30030, 770-908-1212, drbwitcher@earthlink.net and Mangala Sharma, Refugee and Immigrant Women's, Inc., 4151 Memorial Drive, Suite 103-F, Decatur, GA 30032.

Clarkston, Georgia has experienced a major influx of immigrants and refugees from around the world. Newcomers face language, cultural and economic barriers that prevent their full access to health information and health care. The health disparities experienced by immigrants and refugees are most striking among women, the gatekeepers of family and community well-being. Consequently, the community is impeded from adequately understanding and accessing the healthcare system. In response to requests from refugee women themselves, the DeKalb County Board of Health’s Center for Community Health Transformation trained fifteen community health promoters (CHP) representing five refugee communities (Afghan, Arabic-speaking, South Asian, Somali and Ethiopian) in Clarkston. The 50-hour training to increase knowledge of lifestyle behaviors that promote health and well-being and knowledge and understanding of, and access to, community healthcare resources was developed with the trainees over a three-month period. Health topics were taught using a self-discovery problem-posing educational methodology. This Freire-based process of listening, dialogue, reflecting and acting allowed participants to engage in a critical analysis of their own reality. This model provided the women with the information and skills needed to work effectively as health promoters while also empowering them as leaders within their respective communities. This presentation demonstrates how the CHP determined their own agenda, delineated their roles within the community and devised health-promoting strategies for their own community. Actual problem-posing techniques used in the training are shared by CHP/trainer Mangala Sharma. Evaluation data of knowledge gained and impact on the women is presented and discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• 1)Identify 3 problem-posing techniques for training community health promoters in a multi-cultural setting
• 2)Articulate the value of a problem-posing educational model for multi-cultural health promoter training

Keywords: Community Health Promoters, Refugees

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.