Hello!

My Story

     For the past 17 years, Mexicantown has been my home. More than a home, my community has offered countless opportunities to learn about myself and my culture. However, growing up, it has always been impossible to hide away from the injustices that often flood not only our community, but thousands of barrios and ethnic neighborhoods around the U.S. One such is adequate access and exposure to healthcare services. Although the percentage of Latino adults in the U.S. who have healthcare insurance has decreased over the last decade, according to The Commonwealth Fund, almost 25% continue to pay for medical and dental expenses out-of-pocket--and that is a problem. Insurance is not the only factor that limits care for Latinos, accessibility, quality care, and an accurate understanding of diagnostic procedures and processes are also barriers that have kept us stuck in terms of healthcare. Oftentimes, communities like Mexicantown remain on the outskirts of hospitals, forcing thousands to have to travel long and expensive distances simply for a quality check-up or physical. Additionally, subconscious biases and internal discrimination continue to be a problem for many "big-shot" physicians and consequently, Latinos are often denied services. In other words, basic human dignity is lost. Language has become another obstacle as wrapping our heads around complex medical terminology can quickly become discouraging and confusing. Without translators, we become lost in seemingly endless medical jargon. As a result, we may find ourselves not truly understanding the full extent of a diagnosis. 

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     The purpose of this blog is help shine light on all of these issues and offer in-reach solutions that maybe won't solve these ongoing problems, but will certainly be a step in the right direction. By sharing real-life experiences and stories, advocating for certain projects and programs, and sharing my ideas for the ways in which we can assist Latino/Hispanic communities that have remained on the backbone, I hope that together we can educate ourselves on the fact that not all communities are being equally served--it is time to work towards changing that.

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