NHMA, HHS to Honor Latino Doctors in Louisiana, Texas Who Helped in Katrina
The National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), in conjunction with the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Minority Health, will recognize Hispanic physicians' dedication to medicine and patients at three press conferences. They are: 2:30 p. m. Feb. 13, St. Jerome Catholic Church Mobile Health Unit in Kenner, LA; 10:30 a. m. Feb. 14 at Trevisio Restaurant in the Texas Medical Center in Houston; and 10 a. m. Feb. 15 at CentroMed in San Antonio.
WASHINGTON, DC (PRWEB) February 10, 2006 -–
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Hispanic doctors in New Orleans lost their medical practices but gained a new purpose and new patients who have suffered as they have, while their colleagues in Texas opened their doors to evacuees.
As evacuees flocked to Texas, doctors in San Antonio put their Spanish-language and medical skills to work helping Hispanics who lost everything. In Houston, Hispanic physicians opened their doors to evacuees at no charge as others rushed to the Astrodome, hauling medical supplies.
The doctors’ efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, neither by their patients nor the nation.
The National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), in conjunction with the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Minority Health, will recognize their dedication to medicine and patients at three press conferences. They are: 2:30 p. m. Feb. 13, St. Jerome Catholic Church Mobile Health Unit in Kenner, LA; 10:30 a. m. Feb. 14 at Trevisio Restaurant in the Texas Medical Center in Houston; and 10 a. m. Feb. 15 at CentroMed in San Antonio.
“The efforts of these doctors and their health teams are a testament of their commitment to protect the health of those most vulnerable in our nation,” said Dr. Garth Graham, HHS deputy assistant secretary for minority health. “In times of crisis and confusion, having a health provider who understands your health needs and provides culturally competent care in a language you can understand is invaluable. The Office of Minority Health is proud to honor these champions of compassion and service.”
NHMA President Dr. Elena Rios is working with HHS and NHMA’s medical societies in Louisiana and Texas to help bring the latest resources from FEMA and other federal agencies so Hispanic patients can receive medical care and social services.
“There are many hard-working Hispanic families who lost their homes in Katrina and are starting all over,” Rios said. “Others have left their families to come help rebuild New Orleans, and they too need medical care. We are here to help direct them to the latest community resources and to honor our fellow Hispanic physicians for their leadership in the face of this crisis.”
“We are seeing a lot of people now who are very depressed,” said Dr. Soffy Botero, president of the Hispanic American Medical Association of Louisiana. “We are seeing Hispanic families who are living apart. It is very difficult to watch.”
Botero is among a group of Hispanic physicians whose homes and practices were damaged or destroyed but stayed in the city to give much-needed medical care in makeshift clinics all over the New Orleans area. Many of those doctors face financial, physical and emotional hardship themselves. “The problems here are insurmountable,” she said. “We don’t have offices, a patient base or hospital. Many of our doctors lost their homes. It’s like starting all over.”
Dr. John J. Estrada, chairman of NHMA’s Council of Medical Societies and president of the Latino Health Access Network (LHAN) in Louisiana, said he has been working with numerous Latino patients who are underserved and uninsured. “This is a very vulnerable population, and it’s very devastating to not be able to provide quality care to these people,” said Estrada, a member of NHMA, a nonprofit organization representing licensed Hispanic physicians in the U. S.
The majority of the public health care centers that serve the Latino community in New Orleans were damaged or destroyed following Katrina. The 2000 Census counted about 15,000 Hispanics in New Orleans, but unofficial estimates are higher: 70,000 to 100,000 Hondurans, and 40,000 Mexicans.
Following the aftermath, Hispanic physicians in Houston cared for countless pregnant women, people with mental illness and diabetics without medicine. “I saw one person who lost everything,” said Dr. Armando Jarquin, past president of the Hispanic American Medical Association of Houston (HAMAH). “He was feeling tired and anxious, but he didn’t want to go the emergency room – he was afraid of the bills.”
“It was amazing to see people come together as a team in a crisis. We as doctors do that as part of our profession, but this was different,” said Dr. Marcos Caldero, who cared for evacuees at the Houston Astrodome. “There was a sense of community and an unspoken bond and an urgent need to be of service – to do something, anything, to help.”
San Antonio’s Hispanic physicians worked round-the-clock to bring medical care to evacuees, shuttling them from warehouses to office buildings that were turned into makeshift shelters and clinics. “These doctors left their families at home – or brought them along to help – so they could care for families in dire need,” said Dr. Sandra Guerra-Cantu, president-elect of the Mexican American/Hispanic Physicians Association and regional medical director of the Texas Department of State Health Services in San Antonio. “Many left their medical practices behind and carried medical supplies, medications and other items to give the evacuees a sense of normalcy in the midst of disaster.”
“I think this tragedy shows that despite all, the human spirit triumphs in the face of adversity and that we can come together as a community – whether a community of doctors or Latinos – and make a difference in someone’s life,” said Barbie Hernandez, executive director of the Mexican American/Hispanic Physicians Association. “That is rewarding beyond all else.”
“These doctors are heroes,” Rios said. “NHMA is working with HHS to help mobilize Hispanic doctors in the aftermath of such tragedies. We are directing them to resources and services so they can best serve the Hispanic community during and after a crisis.”
In addition, NHMA is placing information on its Web site to help direct Katrina victims and doctors to health and social services.
Established in 1994 in Washington, DC, NHMA is a nonprofit association that represents licensed Hispanic physicians in the U. S. in its mission to improve health care for Hispanics and the underserved. For more information, visit www. nhmamd. org.
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