Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111453

Aurelio Martinez, LBSW¹, Julie Ann Parrish St. John, MA, MPH², Janie Mejia, CHW³, Michael R.J. Felix⁴, James N. Burdine, DrPH⁵, Cathy Liles, MPH⁵, and Monica L. Wendel, MA, MPH⁶. (1) Prevention Research Center for Rural Community Health Development, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University Syste Health Science Center, 701 E. Vermont Ave., McAllen, TX 78503, 956-668-6321, aumartinez@srph.tamhsc.edu, (2) Independent Consultant, 5514 Roanwood, San Antonio, TX 78244, (3) EL MIlagro Clinic, 901 E. Vermont Ave., McAllen, TX 78503, (4) Michael Felix and Associates, Walburt Ave, Allentown, PA 77802, (5) Center for Community Health Development, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, 1103 University Drive, Suite 100, College Station, TX 77840, (6) Center for Community Health Development, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University, 1103 University Drive, Suite 100, College Station, TX 77840

The Center for Community Health Development (School of Rural Public Health, The Texas A&M University Health Science Center) is currently involved in the “Integrated Health Outreach System” (IHOS) project ($5 million, 4 year effort funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and HRSA) in Hidalgo County, Texas. This project utilizes a proactive public health model targeting colonia residents along the Texas-Mexico border. Goals of the project include: improve health status; increase access to primary care; and strengthen community capacity. The project uses promotores (community health workers), satellite clinics, and a transportation component. As a result of town hall meetings conducted in the project colonias, two local ‘community health partnerships' formed—comprised of residents who will work together to identify and address their community issues. This “Partnership Approach” necessitates the identification of local leaders who receive training on partnership management. Given their current abilities/responsibilities, roles in the communities, and knowledge of needs/barriers, the IHOS project expanded the promotores' capacity and trained the promotores in facilitating community health partnerships. A project promotora will discuss their training which included: partnership/group facilitation skills; community needs assessment; and evaluation of promotora skill levels. Our promotora will also describe development of skills in creating goals, objectives, tasks, timelines, roles/responsibilities and resource identification. Initial implementation of promotores as community partnership facilitators was well received and with continued support of IHOS partners, has great potential for increasing community capacity to improve community health status.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe 3 benefits of utilizing promotores in the role of facilitators of local health partnerships.
• Identify 3 key components of the IHOS Promotores program that contributed to their abilities to be facilitators of community health partnerships in their colonias.
• List 2 key strategies for developing community health workers as health partnership facilitators.

Keywords: Community Health Promoters, Community-Based Partnership

Related Web page: www.srph.tamhsc.edu/centers/chd/integrated%20health%20outreach.htm

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation