Founded in 1993, Latino Health Access was the first Community-Based Organization in Orange County devoted to addressing health and its social determinants. Since inception, LHA has placed the community at the center of its strategy creation and delivery of services. LHA pioneered the Community Health Worker (CHW) model in Orange County and has since trained many organizations locally, nationally, and internationally on structuring CHW programs, community health, social determinants, disease prevention and management, and more.
The organization initially focused on diabetes self-management as a response to the health disparities and priorities within the Latinx community in the county. In 1995, LHA partnered with the Orange County Health Care Agency to conduct the first-ever health needs assessment of the Latinx community, with a focus on the 92701 zip code, the poorest zip code in OC. Using the assessment results, LHA launched the first-place-based intervention focusing on the 92701 area. Responding to the community’s desires and needs, LHA has since expanded programming in the areas of domestic violence, depression, child passenger safety, older adults and youth.
Understanding the importance of long-term, policy and systemic solutions, LHA has also focused on community-led advocacy in the areas of built environment, open space, food and nutrition, housing, active transportation, and access to health care. LHA has been pivotal in the fight against obesity, creating the first park/community center in the 92701 zip code. In 2020, LHA led the COVID response for the Latinx community in OC. Today, the organization maintains a strong, ongoing focus on relevant service delivery and advocacy in partnership with our community.
