As Hispanics continue their ascent as the largest and fastest growing minority group in the U.S., tension points between the healthcare and the Hispanic communities are growing as well, fueled by the lack of outreach from the former to the latter. One of the results of this disconnect is that many Hispanics still rely on folk remedies that are passed on within the community and families, or they get their medical information from other alternative, non-medical sources. There are many instances of these alternative sources within local Hispanic communities; one such organization based in the Los Angeles area attributes roughly 60% of its sales in the U.S. to Latinos – and it is betting its future growth on them.

In this video, Dr. Joseph Alvarnas, Director of Medical Quality and Associate Director in the Division of Hematology and Hemapoietic Cell Transplantation at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, shares his thoughts and insights about HealthyHispanicLiving.com and how it is helping to change the conversation about healthcare in order to better equip the medical community to serve the demographic shift.

If we in the healthcare industry believe that the path to good health does not begin until someone enters the hospital, we are already starting off at a great disadvantage. That’s a failed model of healthcare for all involved: doctors and nurses, healthcare providers, caregivers and patients. It’s a model that reinforces the passive patient who doesn’t question their physician or ask for a second opinion. A model that makes patients more comfortable turning to folk cures and alternative therapies instead of preventive self-screening and proven treatment methods. 

Are you afraid to look too closely at your health because you’re afraid you’ll find something wrong? Ignorance may be bliss in some situations, but when it comes to your health, ignorance can put you at great risk. Living in fear of getting sick can become a self-fulfilling prophecy if you don’t take the necessary preventative steps to protect and maintain your health – and that includes self-screening for chronic diseases, especially when you are at greater risk because of age, sex, ethnicity, family history, and/or genetic predisposition. 

In my experience, it’s not uncommon for patients to be overwhelmed by the nature of their diagnosis and the implications of proposed therapy. Being a cancer specialist, it comes with the territory.