Nurses Visit Community Centers
By Diana M. Alba, Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M.
Oct. 11–For Anthony resident Luz Maria Hernandez, health care isn’t always easy to get.
“Sometimes we don’t have that much money to go to a clinic, and it takes too long to be seen by a doctor,” she said.
That’s why the 28-year-old said she appreciates a new program started two months ago by the state and Doña Ana County. As part of the Community Nurses Initiative, state health department nurses visit four community centers in the county one day each month. They take residents’ basic health readings and refer people to a doctor if necessary.
The program is an attempt to increase access to health care in Doña Ana County — especially in colonias, or areas lacking infrastructure. A Paso del Norte Health Foundation report released this year indicated 25.5 percent of the county’s population had no health insurance. At 37.3 percent, the uninsured rate was higher for Hispanics than non-Hispanics, who were uninsured at a rate of 10.5 percent. Of Doña Ana County residents who weren’t able to get health care in a 12-month span, 70.2 percent said cost was the biggest hindrance. Statistics analyzed by the El Paso-based foundation were from 2002.
Debby Hanus, a nurse with the health department’s disease prevention team, said nurses can conduct blood pressure and diabetes screenings, as well as immunizations. She said they also refer patients to area clinics and provide health education, such as how to deal with diabetes.
Hanus said residents tend to feel more comfortable about visiting a community center to see a nurse because it seems less intimidating than a doctor’s office, and it’s free.
“These are people who are afraid to go to the doctor, either because they just can’t afford it or because in many cases, they’re immigrants,” she said. “About half the people tell us they don’t go to a doctor or they go to Juarez. They’re only willing to go (to local clinics) if it’s a matter of life or death.” Hanus said a nurse can refer a person to one of the nonprofit health-care providers in the county and help them schedule an appointment. The nurse can then follow up to see if the resident was able to reach that appointment.
“I’m sorry we can only go one day per month; we’re making a difference,” she said.
Silvia Sierra, director of the county’s health and human services department, said the step is a small one, but it’s a start.
“Our goal is to address access to health care by improving it at a local level,” she said.
Sierra said the program is one way the county is working to reduce the patient load on emergency rooms of the two Las Cruces hospitals.
Currently nurses visit community resources centers in Anthony, Vado, Chaparral and Organ. Sierra said her department would like to recruit retired nurses in order to increase the number of centers visited.
Linda Alfonso, a recently retired program manager for the health department, said she had worked in a state with a similar program that was successful.
Alfonso and Sierra said they began brainstorming about how to implement it in the county.
“The ultimate goal is going to be a tight collaboration between health-care agencies,” she said.
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