I-LEAD understands that many populations in our region face significant health inequities. Our practice has affirmed that communities experiencing these inequities can only be transformed from within, and then only by community leaders who have the skills to translate their passions into sustained effective action. Community health improvement can take root only when community health leaders and advocates have the skills and knowledge to translate their expectations for sound health into reality.

In response, I-LEAD Community Health currently has established two primary sectors: the Institute for Health Equity and Community Health Services.

INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH EQUITY

The Institute for Health Equity (IHE) houses I-LEAD's health advocacy and leadership training, outreach, policy, workforce development, curriculum development, translation, cultural competency, community health leadership, and mobilization functions. One of I-LEAD's current key objectives within these areas is increasing health equity in Latino communities through the development of bilingual cross-cultural leadership capacity.

The Latino Health Advocacy and Leadership Program is I-LEAD's first community health specific version of its tested and proven community leadership curriculum, and is endorsed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs.

LHALP is modeled after the W.K. Kellogg Fellow's program, the Centers for Disease Control’s National Public Health Leadership Institute, and includes public health fundamentals. The curriculum, specific to community health work, is supplemented with appropriate public health materials and reference texts. Adaptations of this curriculum are planned as the specific needs in our communities are identified.

GOAL: Form a cadre of Latino health advocates who are prepared and supported in their efforts to improve Latino health status in Pennsylvania and nearby region.
	Increase personal skills in effective dialogue, systems thinking (creative   leadership), and knowledge of public health systems.
	Establish baseline knowledge of public health principles and core content   areas.
	Establish basic competency in select public health skills (i.e., program   planning, community health assessment, data analysis, critical reading, and evaluation).
	Plan and conduct a Día de la Mujer Latina events, and then develop policy   recommendations and  local action plans for follow-up.

What is the Latino Health Advocacy and Leadership Program?

I-LEAD convened its first Latino Health Advocacy and Leadership Programs in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in early 2004.

Each LHALP class includes individuals recruited from community and public health system partners, and is comprised of participants from diverse backgrounds and professional disciplines. The program includes individual skill-building and relevant knowledge content in a learning community setting. Generally, classes meet approximately six hours each month for about fourteen (14) months. There is no cost for the participants, except for some materials and their own travel to the class site.

Sample LHALP Syllabus

Typically, the key activity for the end of the first half of the curriculum will be a Día de la Mujer Latina event, a family-oriented culturally-appropriate day of health education and screenings. Each class then analyzes findings from Día de la Mujer Latina in conjunction with relevant health partners, and makes recommendations for and pursues action with appropriate partners.

An essential aspect of the Día de la Mujer Latina follow-up activity is the participant acquisition of referrals for those individuals who require follow-up. Additionally, policy recommendations are crafted by each class. Skills learned within the class will support participants in their efforts to present findings and recommendations to relevant parties.

Día de la Mujer Latina

			Historically, the voices of women, especially women of color, have been silenced. As we begin to uncover our past, the oppression we experienced is being detailed, however embarrassing it may be. To continue the silence would be a detrimental step backwards. The more we learn about our historia, the better we can serve our gente . Venus Ginés
I-LEAD was pleased to coordinate the first Día de la Mujer Latina in the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern region of the United States in Philadelphia on September 18, 2004 . Evelyn Gonzalez, MA (Co-Director) Susan M. Myers, MA, MPH (Co-Director) Dia de la Mujer Latina--Philadelphia 2004 & 2005 Want to learn more about Día de la Mujer Latina in our region? Click here for recent media coverage. Stay tuned for more information about current sponsorship and volunteer opportunities.

Día de la Mujer Latina is a model, culturally-appropriate Latino health promotion event designed to address the needs of Latino families. Día de la Mujer Latina, Inc. (DML) was founded in 1997 by Venus Ginés, a breast cancer survivor. The mission of DML is to promote health awareness to underserved Latino communities by providing ethnic-specific education; a culturally-appropriate setting for early detection screening and prevention care; and resource information for follow-up services. DML is an innovative, powerful, and a proven public health strategy aimed at improving the health of Latinas and their families by promoting health awareness and early detection of life-threatening illnesses, such as breast cancer and diabetes. It has earned the support of Mexican and Peruvian consulates, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, city and county health departments, and national corporate sponsors.

I-LEAD Community Health will be coordinating duplication of this model throughout the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States for Día de la Mujer Latina, Inc. Our commitment to Día de la Mujer Latina in Pennsylvania is already creating significant synergy on behalf of Latino health improvement in three other states. The I-LEAD Community Health team is heartened to know that individuals in New Jersey , New York City and Boston who also wish to conduct Día de la Mujer Latina events will be joining us in these efforts.

I-LEAD's Underlying Values and Philosophies Approach to Día de la Mujer Latina in Our Region

1.   A sustained, comprehensive Latino health initiative in Pennsylvania can only occur with committed and coordinated elements in place related to community leadership, community health advocates and health practitioners; a responsive public health system (i.e., staff, programs and policies); and related resources.

2.  Individual behavior, community norm, and systems change will be needed to improve Latino health status.

3.  Overall improved health status will be observed only over the mid- and long-term; thus, reasonable proxies of near-term success will be devised.

4.  Commitment to and support of rigorous evaluation is a requisite for all partners.

5.  Every possible opportunity to build Latino public health system infrastructure (recruitment and training of Latino public health professionals, continuing education, development of support materials, in-service of health agency staff, etc.) will be created.

6.  The best researchers and practitioners in Latino health advocacy and practice will be brought to Pennsylvania in order to build our infrastructure and, thus, elevate our collective performance.

7.  True to the spirit of the current Commonwealth health planning process, planning will be community-based, data driven, and accountable to the community.

8.  Everybody plays. There is more than enough work for all and by pulling together we can work to increase resources for all.

9.  Honest, respectful and caring communication regarding our “current reality” throughout the community health initiative will be key to our success. Doing good work, not looking good, is the goal.

10.  We will seek every possible chance to bring federally- or nationally-sponsored grants or conferences to Pennsylvania so that our communities, advocates and leaders may have access to resources and information.

Latino Health Advocacy and Practice Institute

A Latino Health Advocacy and Practice Institute is conducted once a year in southeastern Pennsylvania and other sites that will be identified as interest grows. The first program was held in August 2004. The Institute is the mechanism for bringing the best Latino health researchers and public health practitioners to Pennsylvania so that we can elevate the performance of our own practice and advocacy work as it relates to medically-underserved populations. Additionally, much is to be gained through cross-cultural examination of practice and science, which is incorporated into its design. A parallel track focuses on community educators and Promatora programs for the purpose of training health advocates for Pennsylvania and nearby areas.

Who Are Hispanic Americans?

Other IHE Activities

The IHE is in the process of establishing an Associate degree in Community Health, and providing other credit programs for public health professions, such as CNA/VESL training, through I-LEAD's Leadership Institute. Students from medically-underserved areas will be recruited on an ongoing basis and groomed for these opportunities.

Another key area of focus for the IHE is disabilities. I-LEAD is currently co-developing its disabilities leadership program with its strategic partners, Every Child, Inc. of Pittsburgh.

Every Child, Inc.

IHE's critical academic partners are Temple University, University of Colorado at Denver, University of Puerto Rico, and Harvard School of Public Health. Other critical partners include Southwest Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center, Northeast Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center, the Cancer Information Service of NCI (Atlantic Region), Public Health Foundation, Center for Health Leadership and Practice, Día de la Mujer Latina, Inc., and W.K. Kellogg Fellows.

COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES

I-LEAD provides technical assistance and program services pertaining to identified community health issues and initiatives. Examples of such services include clinical, primary care and related aspects of public health (e.g., FQHC applications, HPSA designation applications, clinic management consulting); and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention activities.

Examples of specific projects have included leading the Latino Leadership Alliance of the Lehigh Valley in a project to engage Lehigh Valley hospitals in providing culturally and linguistically appropriate care; assisting New Directions Treatment Services and Latinos for Healthy Communities in increasing access to culturally-competent care and creating culturally-appropriate programs; assisting Lehigh Valley Latino communities in building a partnership with the Gateway Health Plan to support initiatives promoting Latino health; providing culturally and linguistically appropriate health outreach services to the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity; medical interpretation services, such as translating Trust for America's Health Advocacy Guide and health outreach information for the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Diabetes Conference (Hazleton); and key participation in Pennsylvania's Summit on Latino Health.

Cancer Information and Tobacco Cessation Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions

Asian Tobacco Education, Cancer Awareness & Research Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health

Latino Tobacco Control and Prevention

I-LEAD's current key objectives in this area include reducing Latino youth access to tobacco; and increasing the effectiveness of tobacco prevention programs in Latino communities through the development of evidence-based pilot interventions.