Hispanic Heritage Month
By Danielle Carranza
National Hispanic month is under way. You can access more information about what is happening around the world here: https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/
Hispanic culture has been celebrated in the form of “National Hispanic Heritage Month” in the US since 1968. This month, we celebrate not only Hispanic culture as a whole, but also some Hispanic Pioneers in healthcare.
First Carlos Juan Finlay was an MD in the 19th century who noticed correlations with yellow fever. In 1881 he presented his findings and in 1901 his theory was proven.
Ildaura Murillo-Rohde, PhD, RN (1920-2010) was the creator of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN).
Severo Ochoa, MD (1905-1993) was a biochemist and molecular biologist. Ochoa’s discovery of an enzyme that can synthesize ribonucleic acid (RNA) was a crucial advancement in breaking the human genetic code. He was also the first Spanish-American to win a Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine.
Helen Rodríguez-Trías (1929-2001) The first Latina to lead the American Public Health Association.
Antonia Novello (1999-2006) The first Hispanic and first woman to serve as Surgeon General, and she advocated for children's health.
Carmelita Vigil Schimmenti (1936-) The first Hispanic woman to reach the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force
Some statistics and barriers to EOL care:
- Despite being major influences in modern medicine,
Only 9% of health care practitioners and technicians in the US are Hispanic, despite Hispanics making up 19% of the US population
- Familismo (Familialism): Hispanic cultures have a
lower hospice and end of life use for healthcare
treatments because they tend to value collective
decision-making, and family members often play a
large role in end-of-life decisions.
- Simpatia: This refers to a cultural script that highly
values positive social interactions and can cause
patients or families to promote smooth and pleasant
social relationships so there might be less contradicting
or questioning of authority figures.
- Fatalismo (Fatalism): Refers to a belief that all events
are beyond one’s control and fate cannot be changed.
- A 2006 survey of 42,044 adults residing in California, 13% of all Latinos and 16% of immigrant Latinos reported experiencing racial or ethnic discrimination in the health care setting.
- Physicians and health care institutions have not
always demonstrated trustworthiness. Studies have found that Latinos consistently receive lower quality care compared to white patients.
How can we make hospice more accessible and inclusive for more people?
Nurses and people who are responsible for discussing hospice with patients can tailor care to patients within disparities, including providing documents in Spanish. Programs can have specific community outreach and engagement events that are tailored to people in the community they are trying to reach. Lastly, checking our own biases and conceptions of who uses it and how hospice is perceived in other cultures will be the first and more important step to opening hospice services to all people.
References:
Photo 2: https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/06/14/hispanic-americans-experiences-with-health-care/
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