Viva Bien!

In 2004, more than 40.4 million Hispanics — 14 percent of the total U.S. population — were living in the United States. This makes Hispanics the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the country, according to the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C.

Although the surging population also means growth in customer base for HME providers, the language barrier often creates obstacles when Hispanics are seeking treatment. Forty-seven percent of American Hispanics speak only Spanish. Not surprisingly, three out of every 10 say they experience problems communicating with health care providers.

Furthermore, due to a combination of genetics, diet, and access to health care, Hispanic Americans are at greater risk for some chronic diseases, such as diabetes, that HME providers are able to help them manage.

“On average, Hispanic and Latino Americans are 1.5 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites of similar age,” says Scott Robinson, director of specialty programs for Valley Forge, Pa.-based AmerisourceBergen.

In an effort to improve communication with Spanish-speaking patients, some providers have responded by hiring bilingual customer service representatives and drivers.

In areas with large Hispanic populations, Spanish classes for staff also can be useful. Even if employees are not proficient in the language, just knowing key phrases and words can go a long way in helping to understand patients’ needs and making them feel welcome in the store.

Offering patient education also can help serve the Hispanic community. Diabetes Shoppe, an AmerisourceBergen program that provides independent pharmacies with diabetes products, health information and training, offers patient education and support materials in Spanish. These include a Spanish-language version of the program’s quarterly newsletter, Shoppe Talk, which contains diabetes health information for patients; the Viva Bien (Live Well) quarterly flyer series, with articles on diabetes care and treatment; and a Spanish-language, sugar-free products brochure. The program, which operates in more than 1,100 pharmacies nationwide, also offers in-store materials in Spanish, including signage and advertisements.

“The goal of our program is to provide essential diabetes health information to all patients in the communities served by Diabetes Shoppe pharmacies,” Robinson says. “We want to make sure that every patient receives the health information he or she needs.”