Health leaders discuss care for Latinos

Area health care leaders discussed medical care for West Michigan’s Latino population during a Hispanic Heritage Month event September 20.

More than 60,000 Latinos live in the area, and providing them with accurate health care information is sometimes challenging, said Maria Cruz, from Spectrum Health’s Program Puente. Part of Spectrum’s Healthier Communities program, Program Puente provides resources and services to area residents.

“Usually the last thing Latinos are thinking about is their health,” she said. “We’re trying to get the message out of how to use the emergency room. Sometimes Latinos will go to the ER for things that are not really an emergency.”

Cruz was among three panel members at the event, “Latino Health Services in Grand Rapids,” held in the Cook-DeWitt Center. About 50 people attended the presentation.
Dr. Larry Diaz, from Metro Health Hospital, said because some Latinos have less access to health information, they are at greater risk for preventable diseases.

Cruz said Latinos also feel a great need to give back to the community, and she puts them to work. “When they come in, they receive the correct information about how to prevent cardiovascular disease, for example, and they will go right back into their communities and share that information,” she said.

The event was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Latin American Studies.