Consejos para Emergencias de Salud Pública y Desastres Comunes para Adultos Mayores Latinos
Al cuidar a un ser querido adulto mayor Latino, puede ser útil saber a qué recursos pueden acceder los cuidadores durante una emergencia de salud pública.
Al cuidar a un ser querido adulto mayor Latino, puede ser útil saber a qué recursos pueden acceder los cuidadores durante una emergencia de salud pública.
A Public Health Emergency is when a community is impacted by the threat of an illness or health condition that poses a substantial risk to human health1, such as COVID-19, or natural disasters also known as common disasters. Examples of common disasters include wildfires, windstorms, floods, earthquakes, tornados, extreme temperatures, and hurricanes.
Frequent use of Emergency Departments (ED) by super-utilizers - account for between 21% to 28% of all ED visits.1 Super-Utilizers, may lean on emergency departments due to lack of health insurance, financial limitations, or lack of knowledge of available healthcare options. As health care systems work to reduce the use of emergency departments for non-emergencies, one strategy that has proven to be effective is the integration of Community Health Worker (CHW)s.
Older adults have been identified as a group that should receive vaccines as soon as possible. As has been widely reported in the media, the risk of death and severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age. In fact, older adults are more likely to experience severe illness from the disease, and roughly 8 out of every 10 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. occur among this age group.
MHP Salud invites your organization to access the COVID-19 Directory for Community Health Workers (CHWs). In this directory, you can access educational resources focused on CHW and COVID-19 interventions for Latino and Farmworker Communities.
The coronavirus outbreak is creating unique challenges for Hispanic and Latino individuals that live within the tight-knit border communities (often referred to as colonias) of the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Across MHP Salud’s initiatives, Community Health Workers (CHWs) are stepping up to ensure that individuals are informed and receive the help they need during these difficult times.
The consequences of a hurricane can be life-changing. Destruction of a home, damage to personal belongings, lack of access to medical care, and even loss of a loved one can devastate a family. Adequate preparation and having a safety plan for a natural disaster can help mitigate the physical and economic impact they cause. For low-income families, this is especially crucial as they often have difficulty preparing and recovering due to limited financial resources and barriers when trying to access community resources. Community Health Workers (CHWs), who live in the very communities they serve, can help prepare low-income families for a potentially life-threatening natural disaster.