Examples of Promotor(a) ProgramsExamples of Promotor(a) Programs
"I like it that there are so many different programs because that way we get information about many topics and services - the heart, HIV, cervical cancer, children's insurance, and more. We take this information and share it with people. In my program, our focus is diabetes, but if we come to a family, they may have many needs and we are going to help with what they need, not just the topic of diabetes. We have lots of information and we know where to send people."
-Letty Gomez, Promotora
Promotores and Promotoras work on a variety of health issues and take many different approaches to promoting health. Each community and organization shapes the Promotor(a) model to fit their own specific needs and strengths. Migrant Health Promotion has compiled some examples of successful programs and roles Promotores(as) can fill. We hope you will use this list to develop your own innovative program. Be creative!
Migrant Health Promotion implements Promotor(a) programs on a variety topics. To review results from some of our programs, visit Improving Health Outcomes. If you have ideas to share, or if you would like to talk about implementing one or more of the ideas discussed here, please Request Assistance from our Capacity-Building Team.
Remember, one or more of these elements can be combined to bring out the best in your community!
Adolescent Health
Recruit, train and support teenagers as peer health educators to build youth leadership, promote positive role models and address health challenges in your community. Peer health educators can engage other teens through teen-led prevention activities or a teen theater troupe. To learn more about Migrant Health Promotion's adolescent Promotor(a) model, visit the Infórmate Teen Health Program page.
Breast and Cervical Cancer Awareness and Early Detection
Promotores(as) are ideally suited to provide education and advocacy around sensitive issues like pelvic exams, breast exams and mammograms. Collaborate with your local women's health provider to ensure appropriate screenings and follow-up care for program participants.
CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) and Medicaid
Eligible families in your community may not use the public health insurance programs available to them. Promotores(as) can provide education, assist with applications and make sure families use their benefits to receive health care services. They can also work with health care providers to improve the cultural and linguistic competence of available services.
Community Organizing and Systems Change
Individual health education is seldom enough to create change. Promotores(as) can unite their communities to take action. What systems could use improvement in your community? Promotores(as) have helped change public policy, organizational policy and practice, environmental conditions and more.
Diabetes
Diabetes is prevalent in many minority communities, including farmworker and border communities. To prevent and control diabetes and its complications, Promotores(as) can provide culturally and linguistically competent education, facilitate screening and improve access to regular care. They also can conduct cooking classes and demonstrations and organize exercise sessions.
Domestic Violence
When Promotores(as) visit homes to discuss health issues, they may encounter instances of domestic violence. Help Promotores(as) respond to this issue for their safety and for the safety of the families they serve by starting a new program or adding on to an existing program. To learn more about Migrant Health Promotion's Promotor(a) model focused on mental and behavioral health, visit the Salud Para Todos Program page.
HIV Prevention and AIDS
In many communities, HIV infection and AIDS remain misunderstood and stigmatized. Community-based Promotores(as) provide education and support; they can also conduct private, in-home testing and counseling in collaboration with AIDS organizations and health departments.
Maternal and Child Health and Prenatal Care
Promotores(as) help women understand prenatal care and facilitate access to care. Promotores(as) can also act as birth attendants, or doulas. Doulas may offer support during pregnancy, childbirth and caring for a newborn, and they can increase breastfeeding and immunization rates through education and support. To learn more, visit the Farmworker Doula Program page.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Substance abuse, violence and depression are often more prevalent in medically underserved communities. A Promotor(a) program can respond by providing education, support and access to treatment. To learn more about Migrant Health Promotion's Promotor(a) model focused on mental and behavioral health, visit the Salud Para Todos Program page.
Nutrition Education and WIC
Healthy eating can be difficult, even when you have the resources to purchase healthy foods. Promotores(as) can provide education, demonstrate healthy cooking techniques and help their peers use available food resources such as WIC (Women, Infants and Children). They can also advocate for healthier selections at local stores.
Occupational Health and Safety
Farmworkers and border communities face exposure to the elements and hazardous working conditions more frequently than the general population. A Promotor(a) program offers community-based education and support and helps workers understand occupational risks and protect themselves. Additionally, an educated workforce improves employer compliance with worker protection standards.
Physical Activity
Promotores(as) and their peers feel better and improve their overall health by exercising together. Develop a program focused on increasing physical activity among sedentary adults and adolescents, or add an exercise component to your diabetes, heart disease or cancer program. The Promotores(as) in your exercise program can also unite community stakeholders to create safe, accessible places for exercise in the community.
Policy and Advocacy
Promotores(as) are great advocates. In addition to promoting physical health, they can increase activism in their communities by helping their peers understand how their participation can change public policy. Consider deputizing your Promotores(as) and offering voter registration. Encourage Promotores(as) to call and write policymakers regarding issues that affect them, and then plan a group visit to your state capitol or to Washington DC.
Research Assistants
As a part of more formal research projects, Promotores(as) can be instrumental in increasing both the quantity and the quality of survey responses or other data collected from their peers. For example, Promotores(as) may do sampling for a survey, administer questionnaires, contact hard-to-reach respondents, organize focus groups and conduct interventions with their peers. To learn more about Migrant Health Promotion's research projects, visit Research.
Tuberculosis (TB)
Tuberculosis and drug-resistant TB are ongoing threats in many minority communities, and treatment compliance is crucial to stopping the spread of the disease. Promotores(as) can provide education and treatment (directly observed therapy), greatly increasing compliance rates among hard-to-reach populations.
