Recruiting the Heart, Training the Brain: The Work of Latino Health Access

Recruiting the Heart, Training the Brain gives voice to the Latino health experience in Santa Ana, California, and describes how solving today's major health problems requires more than just medicine - success depends upon being anchored in the community, nurturing confidence and unlearning apathy.

The story of Latino Health Access shows how a committed group of activists can build a dynamic force for health in their community. Recruiting the Heart will inspire readers to embrace their cultural roots, use evidence-based strategies to improve social determinants of health, and tap into the strengths and resources of their communities. It offers clear and practical strategies for recruiting, training, and engaging community members as promotores to build a healthier, brighter future.

Use Recruiting the Heart to organize in your community, evaluate needs, generate programs, build coalitions, and keep your founding principles alive. With sage advice on how to raise money and survive in hard times, this guide is a practical resource for health organizing.

Heralded as an organization of moxie and masa by the LA Times and featured in the highly-acclaimed HBO documentary series, The Weight of the Nation, Latino Health Access is at the forefront of improving health by addressing the entirety of peoples' experiences compassionately and comprehensively. Use Recruiting the Heart to improve the health of your community!

Dr. America Bracho is the Executive Director of Latino Health Access. She worked as a physician in her native Venezuela before coming to the US to obtain a master's degree in Public Health at the University of Michigan. After completing her Masters program Dr. Bracho created and directed the AIDS projects for Latino Family Services in Detroit, Michigan. She has been a trainer, presenter and consultant for numerous government and private agencies around the nation including: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The National Council of La Raza, the University of California, Los Angeles, University of Maryland, John Hopkins University, the Texas Department of Health, the Joslin Diabetes Center, The National Conference of Lay Advisors, and The National Conference of Community Outreach Workers. Dr. Bracho also serves as a consultant for the Pan-American Health Organization.