January 2, 2008
By Perla Trevizo
The need for private practitioners and clinics serving the Hispanic community, especially expectant mothers, is growing with that population, local health officials say.
"Since 2004 our Hispanic clients have increased from 5.7 percent to 9.1 percent in 2006, and we expect it to continue to grow," said Kasey Poole, spokeswoman for the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Department. "We've seen a lot of growth in all our services, but particularly prenatal care."
There are now about 7,000 Hispanics living in Hamilton County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is about 2 percent of the county's total population, but officials with La Paz de Dios, a local Hispanic outreach group, estimate the number is closer to 15,000 and that it will continue to grow.
Sylvia Rangel, assistant director of La Paz de Dios, said the demand for health care has increased considerably in a very short period of time.
"There are services and programs out there to help the Hispanic community, but because of the high demand these services are saturated," she said in Spanish.
Ms. Rangel said most Hispanics use services at places where staff members speak Spanish.
Though Chattanooga offers clinics and services such as Volunteers in Medicine that provide medical care to low-income or uninsured families, a lot of Hispanics don't know about them because they don't have staff members who speak Spanish, she said.
Ms. Poole said the wait time for an appointment at the public health department is between two and three weeks.
RAPID GROWTH
Dr. Jack Rowland, a local physician, said that from a public health standpoint the city was not prepared for the sudden boom in ethnic growth.
He said service providers are "really not prepared to handle it from a staffing point of view and also having people who are bilingual and bicultural. It's hard to find health providers who can not only speak the language but can appreciate the specific cultural needs."
In addition to the language barrier, other impediments to service and care include lack of financial resources, no transportation or child care, and a general lack of understanding of the nation's health care system, according to the Hispanic/Latino Snapshot of Health in Hamilton County: Demographic and Vital Statistics, a report recently released by the health department.
Dr. Rowland and Dr. Michael Seeber, from the women's center Caring Choice, said they are trying to open their services to the Hispanic population.
"I think the Hispanic population is underserved. ... Given the political climate right now, it's not very easy for the Hispanic population," said Dr. Seeber, who has practiced in Chattanooga for 11 years.
"I want to give another group of people (the possibility) to have good health care," he said.
Ms. Rangel also helped organize Promotoras de Salud, or community health workers, and Hola Bebé, or Hello Baby, two programs designed to inform and help the Hispanic community navigate through the health system. She said it is very important to implement initiatives to promote the importance of preventive care.
"The lack of health care access (for Hispanics) has a lot to do with the culture," Ms. Rangel said. "As Hispanics we are used to using homemade remedies first, especially if you don't have the financial means."
REACHING OUT
Liz Jenkins, assistant to the vice president for healthy communities and advocacy at Memorial Hospital, said she focuses on providing information to the community.
"We have been involved in the health fair, in the promotoras program, in giving information sessions at Hispanic churches," she said. "It's important that (Hispanics) know what services are out there for them, and I think they are realizing that."
Erlanger hospital has hired bilingual staff members for services most used by Hispanics.
"More than half of the patients utilizing the services of the UT College of Medicine OB-GYN Clinic (based at Erlanger) are Hispanic," said Janet Kramer, cancer support services manager at Erlanger. "Because of this, the department currently employs three people who are bilingual and is in the process of hiring a fourth staff member capable of translating for the Hispanic population."
She said the clinic also offers complete prenatal care, with provisions for uninsured or underinsured women, including preconception counseling, ultrasound exams and baby deliveries.
Ms. Poole said the health department also is working on community outreach.
"We want to better serve the whole community, and that includes reaching out to every group, including Hispanics ... and we know that through prevention we can improve the health of our entire community, especially with prenatal care," she said.
According to the Hispanic/Latino Snapshot of Health report, 9 percent of Hispanic women surveyed reported not receiving any prenatal care during their pregnancy, and 40 percent said they received health care only during their first trimester.
Ms. Rangel said she still hears about "parteras," or midwives, among Hispanic women.
"It's something that's still happening in our community and that we need to work on," she said.
Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press
Comments