There are about one million Latino residents in North Carolina and nearly 10 percent of community members in Novant Health’s footprint speaks Spanish at home.

Noticias de salud para Latinos will focus on key health care concerns of Latinos, whose health challenges are similar to non-Hispanic groups, but often at a higher percentage. Those include conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity. The resource also offers important information on COVID-19, women’s health, cancer, pediatrics and many other health topics.

COVID-19 is of particular importance. Latino communities have been hit disproportionately hard by the virus. While Latinos make up about 10 percent of the state population, this summer the N.C. Department of Health and Human services reported that they represented 44% of the cases statewide. Advocates note that part of the reason for that discrepancy is a lack of Spanish-language resources and information. The new Novant Health resource will help fill that gap.

Additionally, Noticias de salud para Latinos will profile Latino and other Spanish-speaking Novant Health team members and community members who are dedicated to helping the Latino community.

“At Novant Health, we are committed to serving our entire community and eliminating barriers to remarkable health care,” said Tanya Blackmon, executive vice president and chief diversity, inclusion and equity officer at Novant Health. “Language should never be an obstacle for our patients when trying access health care and the different resources we provide in their health journey. We want to increase the access to vital information for Spanish speakers and Noticias de salud para Latinos will be one of the many resources we provide as we strive to be more inclusive throughout the Latino community.”

Noticias de salud para Latinos, which translates to “Health news for Latinos” in English, also will provide Latinos access to information about Novant Health providers and health care services in their communities.

“Noticias de salud para Latinoswill offer curated stories that promote positive health outcomes and celebrate the team members who make Novant Health a destination for quality care,” said Carmen Canales, senior vice president and chief human resources officer. “I am excited about the ways this resource will build community for the patients we serve, while encouraging diverse talent to explore rewarding career opportunities across our organization.”

As an organization committed to diversity and inclusion, Novant Health is proud to have this new resource for the Spanish-speaking community. For more information on Novant Health’s diversity and inclusion efforts, visit NovantHealth.org/diversity.

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