Home » News » Community Impact » Impact of Promotores at El Buen Intensifies

Community Impact

Impact of Promotores at El Buen Intensifies

This summer has marked a new era for El Buen Samaritano’s promotores de salud (community health workers). Through a partnership with the national organization Día de la Mujer Latina, El Buen’s promotores de salud will take on bigger challenges, making a deeper impact on the health of Austin families.

“El Buen’s promotores de salud are trained community leaders who prompt individuals toward personal growth, health and self-actualization,” said Healthy Living Manager Lil Almonte. “El Buen’s partnership with Día de la Mujer Latina makes it possible for our promotores de salud to receive solid training on various community issues and a certification from the State of Texas as community health workers."

Medically underserved populations are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages of chronic and infectious diseases, making them less treatable, due to lack of health screenings. They’re also at higher risks of encountering social issues. Through this state certification, El Buen’s promotores de salud will focus on breast, cervical and prostate cancer awareness, substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health, sexual education and much more.

“In these training sessions, we’ve learned how to go beyond just informing people of health issues,” said Dalila Figueroa, longtime promotora de salud at El Buen. “We’ve learned how to handle situations with patients who have already been diagnosed with a chronic or an infectious disease, which allows us to be right next to the patients when they need us the most.”

Dalila, 48, is one of El Buen Samaritano’s first promotores de salud. Following her calling to help others in need, Dalila started her volunteer experience at El Buen Samaritano shortly after she came to El Buen Samaritano in need of medical assistance 16 years ago. “I was treated so kindly,” Dalila said. “I just knew I needed to be involved with this group of people and help others.” In 2003, she became one of El Buen Samaritano's promotores de salud and since then has been carrying the message 'take care of your health' to hundreds of underserved families.

As state-certified community health workers, the primary role of El Buen’s promotores de salud is to empower others by promoting health awareness, providing culturally and ethnically competent information and patient navigation for follow-up services, facilitating early-detection screenings and prevention-care interventions, and promoting wellness with resource information.

And with endorsers such as Assistant Commissioner Evelyn Delgado, the community health worker state certification initiative made possible at El Buen Samaritano by Día de la Mujer Latina promises to make a greater impact on the health of thousands of Austin families. On July 16, during the promotores de salud class, El Buen Samaritano had a surprise visit from Ms. Delgado (photo above). "Ms. Delgado has been very supportive of the Department of Social and Health Services' Community Health Worker Training and Certification Program," said Venus Ginés, founder and president of Día de la Mujer Latina and instructor of promotores de salud for five cities in Texas. "Ms. Delgado met the promotores de salud at El Buen and spoke with them about the future of community health. She ate with them and listened to their fantastic presentations."

On Saturday, September 18, 17 promotores de salud will graduate at El Buen Samaritano as community health workers with 160 hours of training. They will debut as state-certified community health workers at a Health Fiesta hosted by Día de la Mujer Latina and El Buen Samaritano on Saturday, September 25, where approximately 2,000 Austinites will have the opportunity to have free medical exams, health screenings and access to health education.

The state-certified Día de la Mujer Latina training program is comprised of the following eight core competencies: communication skills, interpersonal skills, service coordination skills, capacity-building or leadership skills, advocacy skills, teaching skills, organization skills and knowledge base on specific health issues.

Currently, El Buen’s promotores de salud have a presence in schools and other entities in North, Northeast, Central, East, South and Southeast Austin and Round Rock. For more information, contact Lil Almonte, healthy living manager.