OneWorld Profile Laura Hernandez, Community Health Promoter (Promotora)
“W e have seen people who have never received a health screening. We have seen people who fear going to the doctor because they don’t have health insurance or are low-income. We
have seen people with great risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure – and they don’t know it. But once we see people, we educate them and empower them to make a difference for their health, their families and their communities. Once we screen them and talk with them, they understand a little more about their health and the places they can go to receive help. Once we see them, we make a difference in their lives,” said Laura Hernandez, community health promoter.
Laura became a promotora in February 2014 after graduating from the OneWorld promotora training and completing a community project and health screenings. Laura was so great as a volunteer that she became a OneWorld employee in January 2015. As a health promoter, she educates the community about diabetes and hypertension. She also recruits community members to become health promoters and to act as a bridge between OneWorld and the community. “I am the true example of this great program. In 2009, I received a screening from a OneWorld promotora and the results were not very good. But she educated me about the results and ways I could be healthier. I learned from this experience and I made the best decisions about my health – balance my nutrition, exercise and make a doctor’s appointment. A few weeks later, I went to the doctor and my health was much better. I reflected, and I said to myself that one day, I wanted to do the same thing that these people had done for me, I wanted to become a community health promoter,” Hernandez said. Laura makes meaningful community connections because she speaks the same language, uses plain language and shares the same culture as the people she helps. With each connection, she’s able to see how essential a community health promoter is to the community – and she proves it every day.
11 I 45 Years of Making a Difference
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