The Latino Healthcare Professionals Project: responding to the diverse needs of the 21st century.

The Latino Healthcare Professionals Project (LHPP) is a privately-funded initiative to provide healthcare management training to first-generation educated Latino bilingual and bicultural upper division university students planning careers in healthcare. This unique curriculum, scholarship, and mentorship program is based in the Health Care Administration (HCA) Program at California State University Long Beach (CSULB). Initially funded by The Sisters of St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation, LHPP has been sponsored by several organizations, including Kaiser Permanente and the Health Care Foundation for Orange County, with a shared commitment to increase the diversity of trained Latino managers in the healthcare field. Since its inception in 1995,168 students have participated in LHPP, with demonstrated success in improved student performance, retention, participation in the health professional work force, and continuing educational achievements. This article discusses the need for Latino healthcare professionals, current issues facing the Latino population with regard to higher education and family involvement, and barriers affecting Latino students' ability to complete a four-year baccalaureate degree. Information on the projectincludes a description of the LHPP mission and goals, curriculum and core components, as well as the project's structure, process, and outcomes.