What motivated you to become a health care service professional?
My professional role in the health care field is in being an advocate for the small business owner community. As a small business consultant and trainer, I see the struggle they experience in managing a business and in being able to provide benefits for themselves and their employees. The high cost of health care premiums is often beyond their reach. As a result, many choose to go without it. This affects everyone, from the business owner to the employees and their family members. Access to health care is a basic human need so I initiated the Small Business Owners Health Fair. This fair offers basic screening, preventive medicine and alternative medicine to encourage healthy life style choices.
What level of training and education are essential today for a professional to provide the kinds of service you deliver?
As an advocate, effective advocacy workshops focusing on health care issues provide me with tools to empower our stakeholders.
In what areas of health services do you perceive the greatest need and why?
Encouraging prevention helps our clients protect themselves against heart disease, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. These are among the leading causes of death among Latinos and other minority groups. Prevention includes simple and routine self examinations. We help individuals identify what to look for and help them become more proactive in protecting themselves. This is the first step in early prevention that, if not followed, can lead to long term health problems and costly medical procedures. They need to know that early diagnosis and prevention has a direct correlation between good health, poor health and cost. We want them to enjoy the fruits of their effort and live longer, healthier, and happier lives.
What are the greatest challenges you face in your role as a health care service professional?
Many of our clients do not go the doctor. Many do not understand the importance of following through with instructions given by the health care provider. The importance of understanding a procedure or treatment is critical for our clients. It can make the difference between good or bad health, and sometimes even life and death. Understanding the instructions is a necessary step to good health recovery.
How will the kinds of health care reforms being considered, if enacted, affect the way you and/or your organization deliver services?
The foundation of our health services is in being able to disseminate information that is relevant, current and important to our clients. The Spanish American Merchants Association provides the necessary bi-lingual information to business owners on the why, where, and how, to find the proper resources in their community for their health issues. SAMA reaches out and develops partnerships with local institutions that can provide and explain basic information and services beneficial to our clients. â–Â
Â
STATS:
Position: Training Director
Spanish American Merchants Association
Quote: Early diagnosis and prevention has a direct correlation between good health, poor health and cost.
