The Power of Promotores: Enhancing the Ability of Medical Students to Provide for and Communicate With Underserved Populations

Authors

Jesse Allen
Suzette Jimenez
Ricardo Belmares, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Jose Manuel de la Rosa
Nathan A. Holland
Jessica Chacon

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-4-2024

Abstract

To increase community health knowledge, the El Paso Health Education and Awareness Team (EP-HEAT) was established at Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. The Medical Student Run Clinic (MSRC) emphasizes community health care access. Promotores de salud (community health workers) increase health care awareness and connect predominantly underserved communities with resources. Surveys were conducted to determine how EP-HEAT and MSRC patients’ communication with promotores affected their access to health care and communication skills. Surveys demonstrated that 91% of EP-HEAT members agreed that working with promotores improved their communication ability. All MSRC patients surveyed stated interacting with promotores helped improve health care communication in various ways.

Comments

© Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. Preserved in ScholarWorks.

Recommended Citation

Allen, J., Jimenez, S., Belmares, R., Rosa, J. M. de la, Holland, N. A., & Chacon, J. (2024). The Power of Promotores: Enhancing the Ability of Medical Students to Provide for and Communicate With Underserved Populations. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 28(1), 113–124.

Publication Title

Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement

Academic Level

faculty

Mentor/PI Department

Medical Education