VivirLatino

NYC Medical Center Launches Latino Health Initiative

08:41 H | Topics: Health - New York City

In most urban areas with significant Latino populations there has been a push towards preventive healthcare instead of crisis management. Too many people in the Latino community are uninsured and use hospital ER's as their primary care physicians. Recognizing this fact, Beth Israel Medical Center in NYC recently launched The Latino Health Initiative, one of the first hospital-based programs in the metropolitan region committing staff and resources to specifically address the health needs of the Latino market.

Beth Israel’s Latino Health Initiative is committed to delivering the best possible clinical and preventive care to Hispanics. “We will eliminate cultural barriers by recruiting Hispanic and bi-lingual doctors, nurses and staff,” Dr. Hector Castro, founder of Itzamna Medical Center, the first private physician-driven clinic in New York to target the Latino community, said. “Our team will also visit New York’s Latino communities in an effort to educate all age groups about the importance of a healthy body, mind and spirit.”

The program strives to look at Latino health from a holistic point of view, working bot only on the physical well being of the community, but how the community looks at the health care profession overall. This includes the creation of student internships and field trips to the hospital done in conjunction with Latino community based organizations in an effort to spark interest in medical careers.

Via / Hispanic PR Wire

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