Efforts Offer Health Services to Hispanics, Fund Minority AIDS Awareness Initiatives

• Bellin Health: Bellin Health on Tuesday opened the Clinica Hispana in Brown County, Wisc., in which all staff will speak Spanish and provide all forms and brochures in both Spanish and English, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports. Brown County has about 12,000 Hispanic residents, according to the latest Census Bureau data. The clinic will provide routine checkups, Pap tests and physicals, in addition to other health services. It will use universal symbols to direct patients to additional services, such as to the laboratory and X-rays (Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette, 8/31).
  
  
• National Alliance for Hispanic Health: The alliance, as part of Cholesterol Awareness Month in September, will conduct a series of events in Hispanic communities across the nation to promote its 2007 Heart Health Campaign. The campaign provides communities -- primarily in Chicago, Miami, New York City and Houston -- with educational material and information about cholesterol screenings. Health professionals also will be available at the events to provide information and administer no-cost cholesterol screenings (NAHH release, 9/4).
  
  
• National Alliance on Mental Illness: The alliance has launched a pilot program that uses a curriculum designed to help general practitioners identify the symptoms of mental illness in Hispanic patients, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. According to the Sun-Sentinel, undocumented immigrants have limited treatment options to address mental illnesses. They also face obstacles including stigma and a lack of insurance, ability to pay or Spanish-speaking counselors. The curriculum will be used first in Los Angeles; St. Louis, Mo.; and Louisiana in October and will launch nationwide in 2008 (Abbady, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 9/3).
  
  
• Philadelphia Department of Public Health: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health last month announced that it has received a $1.6 million grant from HHS' Office of Minority Health's Minority AIDS Initiative, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The $1,682,127 grant will go toward providing services to minority communities disproportionately affected with HIV, according to the Inquirer. The department will also receive $786,624 in Ryan White Program and state funds to pay for psychosocial support, home health care, translation/interpretation, respite care and nutritional counseling services (Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/25).