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National Hispanic Medical Association Unveils Recommendations on Improving Hispanic Cardiovascular Health and Access to Care and Treatment
[February 22, 2018]

National Hispanic Medical Association Unveils Recommendations on Improving Hispanic Cardiovascular Health and Access to Care and Treatment


On February 13, the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) held a congressional briefing on "Chronic Disease & Minorities" and proudly unveiled its policy recommendations on improving cardiovascular health for Hispanics.

"With February being American Heart Month, we are excited to announce our comprehensive report on how to increase access to health care and wellness care, prevention services, and medical education to reduce cardiovascular disease among Hispanics. We are also very honored to have National Medical Association and National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians with us today to give their response and comments given how cardiovascular disease as a leading cause of death across all our communities and how we can work together to improve policies in congress for heart disease, other chronic diseases and rare diseases," stated NHMA President & CEO Dr. Elena Rios.

The Cardiovascular Disease & Hispanics Report is the result of the Summit Series NHMA convened, supported by Amgen, last year in Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert), Austin, TX, and New York City, NY which brought together a diverse group of influential leaders from the healthcare community to engage in dialogue on how to increase awareness of: cardiovscular disease prevalence, prevention and diagnosis in the Hispanic/Latino community; access issues pertaining to cardiovascular disease (CVD) healthcare services; and education and advocacy for health care professionals and patients. Educating more than 300 attendees, the Summit Series was part of NHMA's broader effort to increase health equity among Hispanics.



A sampling of the recommendations presented during the congressional briefing, attended by members of the healthcare community, government and media, include: supporting coordination with health care providers and payers to show the value of greater investment in community-based prevention approaches that address underlying determinants of poor health and cardiovascular disease; educating providers on more effective authorizations for access to new medications and incorporating cultural competence training, medical Spanish and increased Hispanics in medical education.

As the nation's leading organization working with Hispanic physicians to improve the health of Americans, NHMA looks forward to educating national organizations and policy makers on the recommendations of the Cardiovascular Disease & Hispanics Report so that they may be included in health policies this year.


For more information about the Cardiovascular Disease & Hispanics Report and the congressional briefing on "Chronic Disease & Minorities" please visit NHMAmd.org.

About NHMA

Established in 1994, the NHMA is a non-profit association based in Washington, DC representing over 50,000 licensed Hispanic physicians in the United States. The mission of NHMA is to empower Hispanic physicians to work with medical societies, residents, and our public and private partners to improve the health of Hispanics.


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