Elida Tobar (left) talks with Elida Diaz (right) as she fills out forms before the guest lecturer arrives for the healthy parenting class at the offices of Mujeres Unidas y Activas on Monday March 10, 2008 in Oakland. In immigrant communities across Ca

Elida Tobar (left) talks with Elida Diaz (right) as she fills out forms before the guest lecturer arrives for the healthy parenting class at the offices of Mujeres Unidas y Activas on Monday March 10, 2008 in Oakland. In immigrant communities across Calfornia, grassroots networks of volunteer "promotores," or health promoters, are teaching their neighbors how to manage diabetes, practice safe sex, cope with stress and find an affordable doctor. The volunteers are welcomed in Latino communities, because their approach is familiar, but it's also taking hold among Russian, Mongolian and Hmong immigrant groups and others who have trouble navigating the American health system. The work of the promotores is being embraced by county health departments and even health maintenance organizations because itÕs an inexpensive way of getting urgent health information out to a tough-to-reach audience, much of it un-insured. Photo by Lea Suzuki / San Francisco Chronicle (Photo By Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)