Santa Barbara County Promotores Network

For a healthier community!

OUR MISSION
The mission of the Santa Barbara County Promotores Network is to empower
families and individuals with respect, dignity and compassion by enhancing the
quality of all aspects of their lives through
education and promoting healthy behaviors.

WHO WE ARE
The Santa Barbara County Promotores Network is a grassroots network of individuals who are active
members of our community. We are involved in promoting healthy communities through education, policy
change, and linking Santa Barbara County resources to health services. Santa Barbara County Promotores
Network originated at the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics in 2002 and now includes over 200 members
countywide.

WHAT WE DO
Santa Barbara County Promotores Network members understand and respect the traditional beliefs of the Latino community and can help agencies integrate these cultural beliefs in their programs and services. They do this by engaging
the underserved and marginalized Spanish-speaking recent immigrant community around strategies to enhance systems
to improve community awareness about health and social service issues that affect them. Promotores participates in
health fairs, community forums, peer to peer education, and provides information on a variety of issues of interest or
benefit to our community, such as:

Childhood obesity prevention and parent education

Diabetes prevention and resources

HEALTH

Childrens oral health screenings

Free or low cost health insurance resources

CalFresh for families and individuals

Tobacco Prevention

Physical, mental and social well being is essential

for each one of us, so we may live and experience
life fully. We support community-tailored health
promotion programs as an approach to reducing
health disparities in Santa Barbara County.

Family violence prevention

Communicable diseases

Mental health, counseling, alcoholism and drug abuse

Cancer Prevention and Detection

Emergency Preparedness

As a Promotor I have
learned there is no
limitation on learning,
growing personally,
mentally and in
achieving new goals.

Being a Promotor has

helped me grow
emotionally and
personally and thru this I
have been able to help
others in need.

Promotora Ana
Cifuentes

Promotor Alfonzo
Hernandez

The Promotor Model

[Promotores has] enabled
me to expand the reach of
[my] project to ensure that I
was gaining representation
from a culturally diverse
population. I am extremely
grateful to Josefa, to the
SBCEO, and to the Lompoc
Promotores.
-Jill Feldman
Founder and President of
Strategic Development
Associates

Vision y Compromiso, California Network of Promotores

visionycompromiso.org
Promotores (promotores, promotora or promotor) are highly skilled community
members/leaders. Characterized by servicio de coraznservice from the
heartPromotores share a desire to serve their community and improve conditions so that their children, and all children, may know a better way of life. Living in the communities where they work, Promotores are powerful advocates
for individual and community transformation. They share information with
community residents about local resources and have the capacity to influence
policies related to critical issues facing their communities. The role of the Promotor extends far beyond the disease-related functions of community health to
a passion for human rights and social justice. However, the quality that makes
Promotores uniquely effective is their ability to establish profound relationships
based on mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual empathy. By cultivating meaningful relationships, Promotores build community trust, the foundation for engagement in a process of community transformation.

What it means to me to be a Promotora.

Promotores are those people who listen to your needs, including physical,
emotional, and mental needs. They listen to those who are unable to find
solutions for themselves. When meeting someone who is a part of the
"Promotores" that I speak of, for many the experience motivates them to
know more about this program, and get involved in taking the basic training. Every day they want to know more. They soon discover that there
are solutions, information and programs that are free, not only for us but
for the whole community. This awakens the desire to want to know even
more. Often the yearning to give is felt regardless of the sacrifices we have
to make. The Promotores fight for comprehensive health, justice in our
community, in social change, equality regardless of sex, race, age or social
status. We fight for a healthy, free, fair, strong, and peaceful community.
-Guadalupe Perez, Promotora

Promotoras

change
communities and individuals
[and] makes us all healthier,
stronger, and united.
-Gracie Huerta
Listos Co-Creator

SBC public and private agencies are embracing the

"Promotores Movement" as a means to increase their capacity and maximize the effectiveness and reach of their health
and human services outreach and educational activities.

Reaching vulnerable, low

income underserved members of the Latino populations by improving messaging around key issues.

Increasing agency capacity in language and cultural

competency.

Improved Health Literacy

and prevention efforts as
well as access to health insurance.

Santa Barbara is extremely

fortunate to have such a vital
and active chapter of
Promotores in our
community! They are a
valuable resource not only
for our Latino families but for
all families in our
community.
-Jessica Adams
Director of Treatment and
Prevention at CALM

Engaging Promotores in
promoting key messages
around nutrition and physical
activity for young children
have improved childhood
obesity rates in Santa Barbara County.

Working with the Public

Health Departments Tobacco
Prevention Education Program to develop and distribute information about E Cigarettes has improved awareness in the Latino Community.

The Semillas de Cambio project of the Williams Sansum Diabetes Center has
trained Promotores to conduct classes that will result in healthy pregnancies
for women who have experienced Gestational Diabetes and a decrease incidence in developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Dignity Healths Healthy for Life Series classes are now conducted by trained
Promotores and include information on risk factors and prevention of chronic
illness. These classes are now well attended and culturally appropriate thanks
to the restructuring suggested by the Promotores.

Promotores are now a crucial part of almost every health fair and screening
event throughout Santa Barbara County.

They conduct outreach and educate their community about childhood dental
disease, nutrition and physical activity, cancer detection, heart disease, tobacco and E Cigarette use, and health insurance and immigration issues and

The Promotores help our

program ensure that the
policymakers hear the voices
of the community.
-Grace Alderson
Health Educator at the
Tobacco Prevention
Settlement Program

The Promotores continue to

play a crucial role in this
collaborative health fair
effort that exists to increase
access to health care and
wellness in Santa Barbaras
communities with the
highest levels of poverty and
health and safety concerns.
-Salud Carbajal
First District Supervisor

They conduct surveys for agencies in order to determine better ways to serve
the Hispanic/Latino community.

An amazing leader in our

community.
-Liliana Encinas
Santa Barbara County Fire
Department Listos emergency
training

Santa Barbara County Promotores Network

Past and Present Funders Include:

Santa Barbara Foundation, The Fund for Santa Barbara, Cottage Health
System, First 5 Santa Barbara, McCune Foundation, Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Dignity Health Marian Regional Medical
Center, Williams Sansum Diabetes Center, Food Bank of Santa Barbara

Partners that have been key in the success of the SBC Promotores Network are:
SBCEO/Child Development Health Linkages Program; Marian Regional Health Center; Vision y Compromiso;
McCune Foundation, SB Foundation; The Funds for SB; Food Bank of SB; Cottage Health System; William Sansum Diabetes Center; First 5 Santa Barbara County; Cancer Center of SB; Healthy Lompoc Coalition; Guadalupe
Thrive; Carpinteria Childrens Project Main; CenCal Health; Community Action Commission; Family Service
Agency; Tobacco Prevention Program; ADMHF Program; Nutrition Health Net; CDP; Santa Barbara Westside
Boys and Girls Club; Importa Centro de Immigracion; City of Santa Barbara Parks & Rec; Isla Vista Youth Projects; Santa Barbara County Public Health Department; Health Care Centers; 1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal; Women, Infants, and Children Program, Migrant Education; Welcome Every Baby; Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics; Santa Mara Bonita School District and SBC School Districts, Preschools and Elementary
Schools, Just Communities, Food Bank of SB, FRC/IVYP, Carpinteria Childrens Project Main, SBPHD, County of
SB, Alzheimer's Association, Orfalea Foundation, SBCPHD/CHDP, Community Health Clinic, YMCA, Vision y Compromiso, The Braille Institute SB, CHISB, Welcome Every Baby, Santa Barbara County Fire Department, CALM

http://sbcpromotoresnetwork.weebly.com/
For More Information contact
Josefa Rios
Phone: (805) 448-2578
Fax: (805) 682-4646
E-mail: jrios@sbceo.org
SBCEO
3970 La Colina Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93110

Santa Barbara County Promotores Network is proud to play a significant part in

helping and continuing to make the difference in our community.