THE LATINO HEALTH ADVOCACY PROGRAM - A COLLABORATIVE LAY HEALTH ADVISER APPROACH

There have been numerous calls in the literature for health educators to develop programs to improve access to and utilization of health and human services by traditionally underserved communities, including La tinos. While the literature suggests several principles that can guide the development of these programs, it is important to address the nee ds, and build on the strengths, of the specific community of interest. It is, therefore, important to use collaborative approaches in which community members take an active role in the initiation, design, imple mentation, and evaluation of program activities. Lay health advisor pr ograms are particularly well suited to this approach as they are desig ned to build on the strength of already existing community relationshi ps to improve community health. This article describes a collaborative , culturally appropriate, holistic, and ecological lay health advisor program-the Latino Health Advocacy Program. Lessons learned and implic ations for future program development are discussed.