Hispanic Heritage Month: NYC nonprofit working to get more Latinas into health care
NEW YORK -- September is Hispanic Heritage Month and CBS New York is taking a closer look at a local nonprofit working to increase the number of Latina physicians.
Research from UCLA shows there is a national shortage, creating disparities in health care.
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Dr. Yomaris Pena didn't have any family members or friends in the medical field, but she had a belief.
"It was compassion and a calling," Pena said.
These days, she serves as the chief medical officer for Somos Community Care, a physician-led nonprofit serving more than 1 million patients in New York City's most underserved communities. She practices in Washington Heights.
"When I came out of residency in UMDNJ, I realized there were not that many doctors that looked like me in that community and that's where the need is. That's where I had to go," Pena said.
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Latinas like Pena make up only 2.4% of all physicians in the U.S., according to UCLA, yet Latinos make up 18% of the total population.
Hostos Community College student Elizabeth Soto aspires to become a physician assistant. She moved here from the Dominican Republic and said it has been a challenge to find Latina physicians.
"That made me feel insecure, not to trust a physician, and that actually made me withdraw from my medical appointments in the past," Soto said.
One of the issues Somos is tackling is the stigma surrounding mental health in the community.
"There a stigma in the Hispanic community about mental health -- 'Es esta loca.' I'm saying it in Spanish that no one over there is crazy and that's the one we have to start breaking down," Pena said.
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On Wednesday, Somos offered free wellness screenings at Hostos Community College.
"The best feeling is someone come up to you and say, 'I have never been able to talk about this, but I feel really comfortable with you,'" said Raquelmy Lamour, the director of behavioral health and social work at Somos.
Somos founder Dr. Ramon Tallaj has partnered with New York state and 43% of Somos' physicians are female and participate in the Latina Mentoring Initiative.
"Don't stop at anything because obstacles are always going to be there," Pena said.
The research from UCLA offered possible solutions to improve representation, including increasing financial resources, expanding science programs for students from a young age, and incentives for medical schools to prioritize students interested in pursuing medical care in underserved areas.
