September 13, 2021 – Updated June 9, 2022
September 15-October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15th – October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month. This month commemorates all the valuable contributions and accomplishments of the Hispanic and Latino community in the US. It is a perfect time to heighten the community’s awareness on health issues that may affect these communities.
- Members of the Hispanic/Latino community tend to be affected by chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (including hypertension), diabetes, obesity, and cancer.
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), members of the Hispanic/Latino community have 50% higher rate of dying from diabetes, 24% more incidence of poorly controlled high blood pressure, 23% more incidence of obesity, and 28% less incidence for screening of colorectal cancer (Hispanic Health | VitalSigns | CDC, 2015).
Lack of access to preventive health care, language barriers, cultural barriers, and lack of insurance can all influence the development of these chronic conditions in the Hispanic/Latino community. Therefore, it is essential to increase public awareness of screenings and early treatment of diseases so we can prevent the progression of many of these chronic conditions.
There are several steps you can take to promote the health of your Hispanic/Latino beneficiaries.
- Encourage your patients to schedule annual wellness visits and health screenings.
- Provide interpreters for your Spanish speaking patients to help eliminate any language barriers.
- Ensure all educational materials are written in both English and Spanish to facilitate communication.
- Educate patients on healthy habits such as exercising, eating a well-balanced diet including foods that are low in salt, fat, and cholesterol, lowering stress levels, controlling weight (or losing weight if needed), and getting enough sleep.
- Monitor your patients’ blood pressure levels and glucose levels. Manage and treat accordingly.
- Discuss the importance of colorectal screening and encourage your patients to schedule this Medicare covered benefit.
- Instruct your patients on the effects of smoking. Medicare covers counseling to prevent tobacco use for those patients that qualify. Discuss this Medicare covered benefit with your patients and encourage them to enroll.
- Encourage your patients to get their flu shot annually.
- Encourage your patients to get their pneumococcal shot.
To learn more about Medicare-covered services, visit CMS Preventive Services:
- Glaucoma Screening
- Cardiovascular Disease Screening Tests
- Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
- Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) for Obesity
- Counseling to Prevent Tobacco Use
- Diabetes Screening
- Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program
- Colorectal Screening
- Flu Shot & Administration
- Pneumococcal Shot & Administration
Resources:
- US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health
- CMS Office of Minority Health
- CMS Mapping Medicare Disparities
- Medicare.gov Your Guide to Medicare Preventive Services
- National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease (210.11) (cms.gov)
- National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Obesity (210.12) (cms.gov)
- National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Counseling to Prevent Tobacco Use (210.4.1) (cms.gov)
- National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests (210.3) (cms.gov)
References
- Hispanic/Latino - The Office of Minority Health. (2021, October 12).
Www.Minorityhealth.Hhs.Gov.
https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=3&lvlid=64