Community Health Screenings Can Complement Public Health Outreach to Minority Immigrant Communities

What Is the Purpose of This Study?

• • To provide culturally competent community-based respiratory health screening and education at sites on Long Island with high concentrations of Latino immigrants

• • To assess the impact of this intervention on the decision to seek medical care.

What Is the Problem?

• • New immigrants, especially those with limited education and limited English skills, as well as senior citizens have a greater likelihood of limited health literacy.

• • These factors have been associated with higher rates of hospitalization and utilization of acute care resources.

What Are the Findings?

• • Respiratory health concerns were identified in 62% of participants.

• • Approximately 50% of those who screened positive at screening complied with our recommendation to seek medical evaluation and care.

• • Of the remainder who screened positive but did not comply with our recommendation, we found that 75% were unable to identify a primary care provider.

• • Community based screenings provide an opportunity to access at-risk immigrant populations for health education and referral for medical services.

Who Should Care Most?

• • Public health community, Including physicians, nurses, community health workers, and social workers.

• • Community partners, including Latino support initiatives, asthma coalitions, and local health care training programs and faculty.

Recommendations for Action

• • Cooperative partnerships between health care, community-based organizations, and faith-based organizations are an evolving strategy to access high-risk communities and to facilitate access to affordable health care.

• • Through our study, we have shown an excellent example of how these partnerships can complement public health efforts in identifying and referring individuals with health issues by empowering them through educational efforts and referrals

• • Additional studies of community collaborations with both short- and long-term outcome measures will offer insights into the complex barriers faced by this population.