Latinos face barriers to equal healthcare. Lower socioeconomic status is a significant obstacle to receiving timely, appropriate care. Many Hispanics do not have health insurance and those who do might struggle to pay out-of-pocket costs. Other factors impeding Hispanics’ access to healthcare include language, immigration status and degree of acculturation.
Many foreign-born Hispanics primarily speak Spanish. English inadequacy hampers Hispanics’ ability to seek and obtain healthcare and limits access to information. Communication is a central element in healthcare delivery, affecting the patient-provider relationship and quality of care.
Several health conditions seem more pervasive in the Hispanic population than in other ethnic groups in the United States. Hispanics experience obesity and diabetes at disparately high rates. Genetic and environmental factors play a role in the prevalence of these conditions.
Raising awareness
It is crucial to increase awareness of risk factors to prevent these conditions in Hispanics.
Sussex County has several excellent bilingual healthcare providers who address the needs of the Hispanic population of Southern Delaware.
Ana Vargas graduated as a nurse in Colombia. As a healthcare professional, she believes it is crucial to counsel patients in Spanish about diabetes, weight control, diet, high blood pressure, cancer and other conditions that affect Sussex County’s Hispanic population. Ana wants to educate her patients and believes timely prevention is essential.
Annual checkups
“One of the biggest challenges I often encounter is that many of my patients do not have access to insurance and neglect their medical care because they are afraid of the cost. As a result, patients wait until they are extremely sick to seek care,” Ana says.
She urges yearly checkups for everyone.
“Don’t wait, have a comprehensive physical exam every year so your doctor can screen for disease and preventive treatments can be done,” Ana recommends. “We call hypertension the silent killer because symptoms only appear once there is damage to the organs. That is why getting regular checkups is so important.”
Ana’s service and commitment to the Hispanic community of Sussex County are not limited to her patients. She mentors young immigrant professionals who hold nursing degrees from other countries.
Helping others
“When I first arrived in the U.S., I did not know how to speak English or where to go to get my nursing degree equivalence so I could practice. I had to figure it all out on my own, but it was a very taxing process,” she said. “That’s why I love helping other immigrant professionals find a way to get their degrees validated and become successful.”
Ana Vargas is a licensed Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) in Millsboro. As an FNP Ana provides primary care with an emphasis on preventative care. Her services include routine physicals, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses, and prescription medications and therapies. Ana is accepting new patients ages 18+. Appointments: 302-853-0268.