Promotoras are community members who serve as liaisons between their community and health, human and social service organizations. They work with organizations and institutions - formally and informally, as employees or volunteers - to bring information to their communities. As liaisons they often play the roles of advocate, educator, mentor, outreach worker, role model, translator and more.

The Promotora model of community outreach is based on a Latin American program-type that reaches underserved populations through peer education. This means promotoras are members of the communities with which they liaise. They take the community health worker model one step further because they speak the same language, come from the same neighborhood and (commonly) share some life experiences with the community members they serve. Promotoras use a variety of methods to make contact with the community. From intimate group gatherings in individuals' homes to large community meetings, Promotoras make direct contact with target audiences, conveying crucial information to provide community support. There are no statistics on how many Promotoras work in California, however it is known that the vast majority of Promotoras are women.

In California, Promotora programs were first used in 1988 by organizations working in AIDS/HIV prevention. Today Promotora programs are used by many organizations to educate people about topics including cancer, diabetes, geriatrics, health (general), HIV/AIDS, housing, lead poisoning prevention, mental health, sexual health and more.

Promotoras have played a key role gaining access and bringing messages to underserved communities. María Lemus, executive director of Visión y Compromiso - an umbrella organization initiated to develop a statewide forum to exchange information related to quality of healthcare, wellbeing and social policy - runs the Community Health Worker/Promotoras Network in California. Lemus knows the value of the program. "Promotoras have a natural ability to relate and speak to the people with whom they share a common neighborhood. Trust is the basis for their successful and efficient community labor," said Lemus. She added, "They bring the healthcare system to the community. And from a community perspective, Promotoras provide credibility to healthcare institutions."

Latinas in Action

In 1991 Planned Parenthood Los Angeles established a program called Promotoras Comunitarias. It was started to help Planned Parenthood fulfill its mission to enable all women to manage their fertility, and to ensure they provided culturally appropriate healthcare. Similar programs exist in other Planned Parenthood districts throughout California.

In order to become a Promotora Comunitaria with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, candidates must receive 190 hours of specialized instruction over a six-month period. This training prepares the advocates to become qualified health educators who inform the community on a variety of health-related topics. The Promotoras offer services including mother and daughter classes, theater performances and two-hour workshops on topics such as HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, drug prevention, prenatal care, values and sexuality, etc.

The program also includes mobile healthcare services. Bilingual Promotoras facilitate service visits on-site at the individual's location of choice. This helps increase access to healthcare by removing the transportation barrier that can be especially problematic for women with disabilities.

The Planned Parenthood Promotoras Comunitarias have had a great impact in Los Angeles. Since the program's inception, the Promotoras have reached more than 75,000 Latinas. Each year they make hundreds of presentations at a variety of events, and perform their educational theater piece, "La Decisión," to hundreds of people.

Promotoras and Disability Issues?

According to Lemus, no disability organization has utilized Promotoras to do community outreach. However, she believes Promotoras could greatly increase access to hard-to-reach populations and communities of color to bring information about disability and employment rights, independent living and more. "Promotoras and disability issues would work great together. They could go in and work with individuals and their families, host technical workshops on specific topics," Lemus remarked. She added, "There are a range of possibilities."

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