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Where: Embassy Suites Hotel, 555 S. 10th St. “Latino Health Issues for Primary Care Providers: Achieving Better Health Outcomes” Where: Embassy Suites Hotel, 555 S. 10th St. |
The tide is in and the number of immigrants in the United States brings a new set of challenges for health care professionals, in addition to the health disparities minorities already face.
To address the issue of health disparities and the health care needs of the Latino population, the UNMC Center for Continuing Education is hosting two conferences this month.
The first, “Eliminating Health Disparities,” looks at the role cultural competency plays in reducing health disparities in the minority population.
The second conference, “Latino Health Issues for Primary Care Providers,” looks at achieving better health outcomes.
Both conferences are aimed at health professionals with the goal of educating the medical community about the social and cultural aspects of health care among the minority population in Nebraska.
“Hopefully what this will do is open a dialogue regarding these topics and get people thinking about these issues,” said Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs at UNMC.
Educating health care providers about cultural competency is one way to reduce health disparities, Dr. Pamies said.
“Health care providers need to understand the important role culture plays in facilitating a successful outcome for their patient’s health,” he said. “We know that if a patient has a good visit with his doctor then he is more likely to follow the treatment protocol recommended and go back to the doctor for follow-up care.”
Another way to reduce health disparities is by encouraging more minorities to become health care professionals.
Louis Sullivan, M.D., CEO of the Virginia-Nebraska Alliance and president emeritus of the Morehouse School of Medicine, will give a presentation about this during the first conference. Dr. Sullivan will discuss the impact of diversity in the health care workforce and implications for culturally competent healthcare.
“Health disparities aren’t just caused by socio-economic factors,” Dr. Pamies said. “The Institute of Medicine has shown that there are many other factors, including the doctor patient interactions that play a role in health outcomes.”
The conference that follows will focus specifically on one minority group, Latinos, and the health issues they face.
“This conference will cover such topics as health beliefs, womens’ health issues and infectious disease,” said Tina Flores, M.D., an assistant professor of family medicine at UNMC.
Between 1990 and 2000 the Latino population in Nebraska grew by more than 150 percent and is now the largest minority group in the state, Dr. Flores said.
The conference will feature a segment on the use of curanderas or healers and the kinds of self-treatments being used by the Latino population. Other issues being covered include: diabetes and behavioral strategies for prevention, working with Latino elders and immigrants and tuberculosis.