It will be a celebration on Sunday April 7th.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issues Proclamation for April 8, 2019 as
“COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER DAY IN TEXAS”
March 15, 2019, Houston, Texas. Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, issued a Proclamation recognizing April 8th 2019, as “Community Health Worker Day in Texas”. Hundreds of Promotores/Community Health Workers from across Texas will be in Austin celebrating this milestone beginning on April 7th with a 4-hour Advocacy Training and a visit to the state Capitol on April 8, 2019 to receive the recognition by both the Senate and the State Representatives.
In 1999, Texas became the first state in the nation to formally recognize Promotores and Community Health Workers (P/CHWs) for their contributions to keep Texans healthy by addressing disparities among underserved and underrepresented vulnerable populations. The population at that time was 20,851,820, with 46% representing a diverse community. The prevalent health concerns were Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer and Communicable Diseases.
Today, 20 years later, the population is 29.10 million, with 55% representing a vast multicultural community and the most pressing health focuses are Medicaid, Opioids and Substance Abuse, Adult Protective Services, Maternal care, Mental Health, and Vaccines.
“More than 4000 Promotores/Community Health Workers in Texas are trained, certified and equipped to effect positive change in the health and human services landscape”, stated Venus Ginés, who has been training Promotores/CHWs since 1997 in over 39 states and Puerto Rico. Some are working in community clinics, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers, while others have been instrumental in conducting health assessments and early detection screening, such as blood pressures, diabetes testing, HIV testing and vision screening. During Hurricane Harvey, these trusted members of our community were out in full force rebuilding Houston and its residents into resiliency.
As we look to the future, Texas Promotores/Community Health Workers are fully prepared of playing a greater role in helping populations affected by the social determinates of health to address health disparities through various medians such as in person engagements, via text, social media, tele-health, or in group care settings. Expanding the role of Promotores and Community Health Workers has been the mission of Dia de la Mujer Latina, Inc., the nonprofit who launched the Annual P/CHW Conference since 2011.
TO REGISTER to attend the celebration and conference, fill out the registration form which can be found at:
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