Planned Parenthood of Nassau County has started a peer outreach program as part of its new, Spanish-language campaign to inform area Latinos about the services offered at its health center.

The campaign was prompted by a survey, funded by a $10,000 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation, that showed only 34.2 percent of Latinos in Glen Cove and surrounding communities knew about the center. Planned Parenthood rebranded the School Street facility as "La Casa Amarilla en la Cuesta" (The Yellow House on the Hill) and created posters and fliers with pictures of the house.

"It's important for Latinas to take charge of their reproductive health," said Giokazta Molina-Schneider, the center's bilingual sexuality educator. And, "A house is much less intimidating than a health center," she said.

Molina-Schneider recruited 14 women, two from Oyster Bay and the rest from Glen Cove, for the outreach. During their three-day training in November, the women learned, some for the first time, about the clinic's services and attended workshops on STDs and contraception. They also received a $300 stipend.

Armed with brochures and pamphlets, the women have begun visiting laundromats, grocery stores, and delis, talking with peers about HIV/AIDS, contraception, and STDs like human papillomavirus. "The community needs plenty of information in this regard," said Blanca Recinos, a six-year resident of Glen Cove and one of the peer educators.

If the campaign proves successful, Molina-Schneider said it will likely be expanded throughout the county.

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