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Grassroots healthcare workers meet for annual conference
Organizers set up this international marketplace at the eighth annual Vision y Compromiso Conference at the Marriott Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport.
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Patricia Nazario/KPCC
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The Los Angeles-based Vision y Compromiso (Vision and Commitment) is holding its annual conference this weekend. The nonprofit works with Hispanic grassroots healthcare workers, or promotores, who generally serve low-income neighborhoods that have less access to health resources.
Maria Lemus started the statewide organization 10 years ago.
“The work of promotoras applies to almost any topic from preparedness to HIV — it is really about health education promotion, information and coordinating communities," she says.
Lemus says about 900 male and female promotores are attending the annual conference at the Marriott Hotel near LAX. Sessions include talks on cancer prevention, diabetes and healthcare reform.
The federal health act enacted earlier this year includes $15 billion over the next 10 years for preventive health measures, including promotores. Vision y Compromiso is the largest promotores organization in the nation with about 4,000 members.
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