Community Health Workers from around the state will gather at UC Riverside Wednesday, Sept. 18, to talk about improving health care offered to Latinos.

The "Community Health Worker/ Promotora Statewide Convening: Hacia Una Vida Digna y Sana (creating a life of dignity and health)" will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the UC Riverside Commons Cafeteria. The conference is an annual convening of the Community Health Worker Promotoras Network sponsored by the Ernesto Galarza Applied Research Center. The program will be conducted in Spanish.

These health advocates work as part of hospitals and social service agencies across the state. They typically meet with people who need health care services but have been unable to get it, because of a language barrier, a lack of money or insurance, or other reasons.

"This conference is part of our strategy to include communities in the discussion.and resolution of common issues," said Carlos Vélez-Ibáñez, a professor of anthropology at UC Riverside and the lead investigator on a project that includes placing promotoras, or health advocates, in various communities in California. "We are seeking ways to develop and enhance what we are doing," he said. "We also want to know what kind of impact our promotoras have had on the populations they serve."

Break-out sessions will allow participants to brainstorm ideas for shared solutions to problems. Recommendations for action will be read to the entire group at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. Cost is $20 per person and meals will be provided to participants.

The University of California, Riverside offers undergraduate and graduate education to nearly 15,000 students and has a projected enrollment of 21,000 students by 2010. It is the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse campus of the preeminent ten-campus University of California system, the largest public research university system in the world. The picturesque 1,200-acre campus is located at the foot of the Box Springs Mountains near downtown Riverside in Southern California. More information about UC Riverside is available at www.ucr.edu or by calling 909-787-5185.

More information about the conference is available from Maria Lemos, project coordinator, at 510-232-7869 or Prof. Velez-Ibanez at 909-787-2169.