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Home health parties have become a
very successful method of educating Latinas in Wisconsin about sexual health.
The parties, which are based on the home party plan used to sell jewelry and
other goods, were developed by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI)
specifically for Latinas. Maria Barker, PPWI’s multicultural program manager
and a Latina, began them in 2006 in response to the high rates of teen
pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among Latinos. Data from the
Wisconsin Department of Heath Services show teen birth rates among the Latino
population to be 3.5 times higher and STD rates 1.6 times higher than those of
Caucasians. Also, there is little communication about sex in the Latino
community. Barker describes the goal as providing a comfortable, nonjudgmental
place to educate families with fact-based, medically accurate, and
age-appropriate information.
The home health party usually
consists of a small group of participants—about 10 family members and friends
of the volunteer host—and is led by a trained “promotore de salud” health
educator. The educator presents a two-hour interactive presentation and
discussion on one of seven topics: cultural values in sexuality, anatomy,
puberty, adult/child communication, birth control, STDs, and breast and
cervical cancer. PPWI provides childcare if needed and a stipend to buy snacks
so that hosting would not create a financial burden. When designing the model,
Barker realized the curriculum had to be culturally relevant and geared to the
whole family, not only to women. She also took into account the religious
aspect of the culture.
In the first year of operation, PPWI
reached 800 Latinos with one health educator. In 2011, it reached more than
5,000 Latinas through hundreds of parties in Madison and Milwaukee with 10
health educators. The program has been so successful that it has received the
support of a pro-life Milwaukee priest who became educated as a health promoter
to help PPWI with topics related to sexuality and faith. PPWI has a two-year
planning grant to evaluate how to expand the party outreach model and has
implemented a version of the program in schools and churches. Barker was also
invited to speak on a panel at the White House on how to implement the party
model on a national scale. She views the key to success of the home health
parties as keeping them small and local. In addition to the health aspects, the
parties have provided many Latinas with social circles in the community.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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