Imagine being in a new country where you could not speak the language, where the culture was very different from your own, and where you were seriously ill with nowhere to turn for healthcare. Thats what the Minority Development & Empowerment (MDEI) found when their representatives were out in the Haitian community in Broward. MDEI reached out to the North Broward Hospital District (NBHD) for help and the two organizations formed an alliance to provide health care services for low-income Haitian women suffering from heart disease. Funded through a state grant, “Closing the Gap” allows NBHDs Disease State Management (DSM) to provide a medical home, including case management and linkage to medical primary care for Haitian women.
(l-r) Hermina Privert with Elsie Jean, R.N., Disease State Management, NBHD.
“This Disease State Management program provides dedicated culturally-sensitive case workers, nurses and respiratory therapists to help patients navigate the health system and provide information in the patients own language,” said Lori Kessler manager of Disease State Management, NBHD.
Established in 1996, the MDEI provides assistance to Haitians, Caribbeans and other minorities to improve their quality of life with emphasis on health promotion, skill building, personal and family resiliency. With many Haitian women suffering medical problems of hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, asthma, congestive heart failure and high blood pressure, the MDEI needed assistance in treating those health problems and turned to the NBHD.
“Closing the Gap” is a grass roots effort that begins when the MDEI serves the Haitian community through health fairs, neighborhood visits and on-site office visits. That is when the first screenings and assessments of the patients needs are established. If the results warrant further care, the patient is referred to the DSM office where an appointment is set up at one of the NBHDs Community Health Services clinics at Lauderhill Middle School or Seventh Avenue Family Health Center. Once certification criteria is met, the patient is scheduled an appointment with the centers physician. Many of the clinics nurses are Haitians themselves and understand the Haitian culture. They also speak Creole, English and Spanish and accompany the patient when she sees the doctor. A bond of trust is developed and a strong relationship among the patient, nurse, and doctor is established.
“A lot of our patients are relatively recent immigrants from Haiti. The first thing we must do is to develop a relationship with them so they can feel a sense of trust in us. Then, they can become pro-active in maintaining their health, understanding the effects of the disease they are suffering from and what they can do to help themselves get better,” said Elsie Jean, RN, Disease State Management case manager, NBHD. “I have had patients who broke down and cried because someone finally understood them and could help them. I provide follow-ups on the phone to see how theyre doing, making sure their meds are effective and strengthening our bond with one another.”
Health education is as important as the medical services provided. Educational videos and awareness classes in three languages about diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure and asthma are offered at NBHDs Community Health Services facilities. A detailed diet is also set up and patients have to option of visiting a dietician at the districts Specialty Care Center.
No patient is turned away due to financial restrictions. Services and medications are provided on a sliding-scale basis according to the patients ability to pay.
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