More than 100 health promoters from North Carolina gathered on Saturday, August 29 at Johnston Community College to receive training and share tools during the fourth Annual Health Promoters Forum, organized by El Centro Hispano.
Bring the forum to Johnston County It was an intentional decision, said Elsa Huerta, coordinator of the Academy of Promoters of the Hispanic Center, due to the need to offer continuing education opportunities to promoters working in rural areas.
“We know that in these rural areas, the promoter who lives here needs to have continuing education,” Huerta told Enlace Latino NC .
The training courses also allow participants to accumulate contact hours that they can use for their recertification as health promoters in North Carolina.
“It’s important that the promoter understands all the health issues that are social determinants, not just health-related issues, but also what’s happening around the communities and the promoter,” Huerta added. “In this way, continuing education can help improve people’s quality of life.”
Related: Latino community workers graduated as health promoters
Beyond health: storm preparedness and misinformation, among other topics
This year's forum included workshops that broadened the traditional approach to health education.
For the first time, Duke Energy offered training on storm preparedness.
Huerta said the workshop arose after the experiences caused by the Hurricane HeleneIts aim is to better prepare promoters to share emergency information with the communities they serve.
Another workshop, offered by Enlace Latino NC , addressed how to identify false information and determine which media outlets can be considered reliable.
For Huerta, this issue is especially important because of the role that promoters play as intermediaries between the community and various institutions.
“We know that the promoter is the bridge between the community, social media, the community and the health sector, the community and the school sector, everything,” Huerta said.
The forum also included organizations that offered information on changes in the health system, the HIV prevention and end-of-life care, among other topics.
Representatives from Duke University also shared information about the importance of Latino communities participating in studies and clinical trials.
The participation of Latinos is necessary so that the data used by researchers better reflects the needs of those communities, Huerta noted.
Access to health
Find health information and resources for North Carolina communities in our guide:
A bridge to services
Sandra Aguilera, a health promoter and forum participant for the second year, has approximately one year of formal certification.
However, she has been working in this field for six to seven years, initially as a volunteer.
Her experience in different organizations, such as the Autism Society and the Red Cross, has shown him that one of the main obstacles for people is not always the lack of services, but not to know that they exist.
“I think it’s very important to create this bridge between the services that exist, but also so that people know that they can connect to or receive these types of services, since sometimes the problem is not the lack of services, but the lack of knowledge about them,” Aguilera said.
The work of a community outreach worker can encompass different areas and organizations, which, according to Aguilera, also distinguishes it from social work. Although both can help people find resources, community outreach workers can also act as facilitators, navigators, and instructors.
For Aguilera, the forum is also an opportunity to continue learning and to bring that knowledge back to the communities she serves.
“You always learn something new, especially in the workshops,” he mentioned.
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