Holy Name Medical Center - Familia y Salud (Hispanic Outreach Program)

Overview

Clinical studies have shown that patients treated by physicians and staff who are familiar with their culture, language and customs are more receptive and do better than those treated by clinicians of another culture. Familia y Salud (FYS) was designed in 2010 to ensure the highest level of health care to members of the Hispanic community, while addressing their unique medical, cultural and spiritual needs. The goal of the program is to raise awareness of the importance of preventative care, which can delay the onset of diseases with high prevalence in the Hispanic community.

Community education is provided through bilingual, health-related seminars for the public in community locations with a high concentration of Hispanics, who might not be willing and/or able to come to the hospital campus for education. Seminars address clinical issues prevalent among Hispanics, such as arthritis and breast, skin and lung cancers. Health fairs focus on preventative medicine and early intervention, and involve the laboratory and pulmonary departments of Holy Name Medical Center (HNMC) and the Diabetes Center, as well as volunteer nursing students from the Nursing School. Within the hospital campus, FYS accommodates Spanish-speaking patients’ needs with printed material including signage, menus and patient teaching materials used by nursing and other staff through ExitCare.

Impact

Evidence of improved outcomes subsequent to the implementation of FYS is demonstrated by increased utilization of preventative services of community education and outpatient services. An increase in volume occurred in outpatient services, which include screenings (colonoscopies, blood tests, cardiovascular screenings) and outpatient diagnostic services. Inpatient stays and ED visits increased only minimally. It can be inferred that health education provided to the community has served to raise awareness of the importance of screenings to prevent more serious developments that require admission to the hospital. Additionally, participation at health fairs has increased as the program becomes better known in the community. At an early health fair in 2011, only about 12 people availed themselves of screenings offered. After reassessing choice of timing, location and methods of advertising, attendance at a similar health fair in 2014 increased attendance to 135 participants. HNMC’s inroads in the Hispanic community have been so successful that West New York, N.J., a Hudson County town with a large enclave of Spanish-speaking residents, has used HNMC as a source to begin its own public outreach efforts.

Lessons Learned

HNMC has found that providing better access to care has led to better outcomes for the community as a whole. In addition, by addressing health topics that are predominant in the Hispanic population and focusing efforts on the family unit, participation in outreach initiatives increased significantly. Participants express their appreciation in feeling acknowledged and their gratefulness for having such bilingual services in the Hispanic community.

Future Goals

Future plans are to continue community lectures and scheduled health fairs.

Contact: Barbara Bermudez
Marketing Coordinator
Telephone: 201-833-7116
Email: b-bermudez@holyname.org