The North Broward Hospital District (NBHD) has teamed up with Minority Development & Empowerment (MDEI) in an effort to improve health care services for low-income Haitian women suffering from heart disease.
In 2000, more than 47,000 Haitian-born residents lived in Broward County. For many, accessing healthcare services is a challenge on a number of levels – financial, cultural, legal. The result is a gap in Broward’s healthcare safety net. The program, called “Closing the Gap,” will bring education, fitness programs, counseling and referral services to the underserved population. A case manager from the NBHD’s Disease State Management (DSM) program will help MDEI set up the cardiovascular disease prevention program promoting healthy nutrition, exercise, weight reduction and medication compliance, technical assistance in training matters. DSM staff will furnish follow-up services for clients with high blood pressure and provide referrals for clients who are not eligible for county services because of lack of health care coverage or immigration status. “The Disease State Management program provides dedicated culturally-sensitive case workers, nurses and respiratory therapists to help patients navigate the health system and they are able to provide that information in the patient’s own language,” said Lori Kessler, manager of Disease State Management.
