Empowering Latino Health

In 2009, before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed on March 23, 2010, a group of highly involved community members informally founded the Latino HealtCare Forum (LHCF) in Austin, Texas. Initially, the main goal of the LHCF was to involve the community and provide a platform (forum) to have conversations about the upcoming changes to the healthcare ecosystem both locally and nationally and how these changes would impact Latinos.

After having several forums and conversations with the community, it became evident the LHCF would have to become a 501 (c)3 nonprofit in order to educate the public about the ACA, also known as Obamacare, and its many provisions, such as health insurance, choosing a medical home, electronic health records and other prevention components stipulated in the law.

Thus, with the aim of bringing a clear, culturally and linguistically competent model of outreach and education to the forefront, Michael Candelas, Jill Ramirez, Sam Coronado, and others formally established the Latino HealthCare Forum in 2011 in Austin, Texas. The community health worker (Promotora) model was selected due to its long tradition of bridging the gap between the community and healthcare providers throughout Latin America. The founders have remained an integral part of the organization's success. In 2024, the Forum was renamed PromoSalud to highlight one of the LHCF signature training programs.

Previous Programs

2011 – Present: PromoSalud
The LHCF's core competency is its PromoSalud program, which trains members of the community to become community health workers or “promotores de salud” through a 251-hour course certified by the Texas Department of State Health Services through its training institute.
2011: Manatial De Salud
Dove Springs – City of Austin /UT School of Public Health. Michelle Obama Anti-Obesity Program. Engaged the Dove Springs community in the areas of physical activity, smoking cessation, park improvement, No Soda campaign, accessing medical home, and walkability assessment.
2013: Integral Care/CommUnityCare
Development and Implementation of Integrative Mental Health Clinic in Dove Springs – provided community engagement for tailoring services to residents of Dove Springs.
2013-2018: Secure Your Health Campaign
Federal Navigators provided outreach and enrollment for the Affordable Care Act through the Center for Medicaid/Medicare Services and the City of Austin.
2014-2015: Central Health - Southeast Health and Wellness Center
Construction and implementation (from architectural design to clinical services) of the new clinic in Montopolis, serving residents from Dove Springs and Del Valle by combining wellness, primary care, and specialty care services. Facilitated community engagement through individual 1:1 interviews, small focus groups, and community forums.
2014: Central Health Onion Creek Flood Disaster Survey
280 residents were surveyed for basic needs and the willingness for a bought-out option.
2015-2018: Rundberg Health and Wellness Initiative
Funded by the City of Austin and St. David’s Foundation. Conducted a comprehensive health assessment (CHA) and developed a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) for the residents in the Rundberg area. (Please see attached report).
2015-2018: Health Literacy Chapter Health Initiative
Funded by the City of Austin and St. David’s Foundation. Created a Health Literacy Chapter for professionals and residents of the city of Austin.
2015: Huston-Tillotson Sandra Joy Anderson Clinic
Provided planning and community engagement for the new construction and services of the clinic.
2015-2017: University of Texas School of Social Work
Recruited Latinos for smoke dependency study.
2017: Sendero Health Plans
Provided outreach and enrollment for Medicaid clients.

2017: St David’s Foundation
Provided Health Insurance Outreach and Enrollment to rural communities ( Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, and Williamson counties)
2018: Susan G Komen “Tomatelo a Pecho” Campaign
Outreach and referral for breast cancer screenings and early detection.
2018-2023: Planned Parenthood
Conducted needs assessment and outreach to reduce teen pregnancy in 78744.
2020: The University of Texas School of Nursing
Recruited Latinos for a sleep study, “Memories.”
2019: Travis County/ City of Austin
2020 CENSUS - outreach, education, and enrollment.
2019: Central Health
Outreach for opening and groundbreaking of a new clinic at Hornsby Bend.
2019-2023: St. David’s Foundation ABUELOS PROGRAM
Intergenerational Grant outreach connecting older adults with young children.
2020-2021: CommUnityCare
Provided response to COVID-19 Contact Tracing education, referrals for service/resources, vaccine status and access.
2020–2022: Central Health
COVID-19 outreach for education, distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) to businesses, apartment complexes, and neighborhood events regarding vaccine access/registration, Medical Access Program (MAP).
2021-2022: United Way Vaccine Equity Project
Outreach, access COVID-19 vaccine.
2021-2022: AT&T
Outreach to teach technology skills for communicating with schools and telemedicine.
2021: HACA RENT Program
Outreach to help residents access the RENT program during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid displacement.
2020-2022: Austin Latino Coalition – Travis County
COVID-19. Outreach, PPE distribution, and vaccine access. See Austin Latino Coalition FB page.
2021: Hispanic Impact Fund
Established Facebook Calendario Comunitario social media platform which averages daily page engaged users18.6, average daily reach of 405.5, and average weekly organic reach of 2,286 with a 15,028 average reach in 28 organic impressions on page posts. Calendario Comunitario provides information on community resources that we translate from English to Spanish on a daily basis.
2023: Pinnacle Research
Recruited Latinos for a Fatty Liver study.