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Getting Latinos to go and see a primary care provider is hard enough. Even when they reach a doctor, many families get frustrated with little time to ask questions.
In response, two Latina pediatricians started a Spanish-language health podcast for Latino parents!
Drs. Edith Brancho Sanchez and Angela Castellanos of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia started the podcast, “Las Doctoras Recomiendan,” in March 2018 to provide reliable, free health information, whyy.org reports.
Why and how did they make it happen?
The Issue of Latino Healthcare Access
At least 27% of Latinos report having no usual health care provider, according to a Salud America! research review.
Latino parents face barriers to medical care, like lack of insurance, legal status, language, high cost. This can result in poor medical care for the parents’ children, too.
Brancho Sanchez and Castellanos saw this in their clinics.
They wanted to clear up Latino patients’ misunderstandings and misconceptions about health topics.
How about a podcast?
Building a Podcast
Brancho Sanchez and Castellanos chose podcasts because they saw Univision‘s growing podcasts. After all, 83% of Latinos report obtaining some of their health-related information from media sources including TV, radio, and the Internet.
“Once we decided to do a podcast, we applied for funding from the American Academy of Pediatrics,” Bracho Sanchez said. “We received a Community Access to Child Health, or CATCH grant. That allowed us to pay for studio time, production costs, and our initial marketing materials.”
Now Bracho Sanchez and Castellanos release weekly Spanish-language episodes.
Topics cover obesity prevention, abusive relationships, gang violence and how to talk to children about discrimination and racism. Experts on each topic—such as a nutritionist to talk about the perils of sugar when it comes to infant nutrition—join the pediatricians to chat.
They discuss these issues with a tone of cultural sensitivity.
“We felt that we needed to reach people at home, when they’re comfortable, in a way they can relate to,” says Bracho Sanchez, a native of Venzuela, in an interview with Salud America! “We wanted them to think that the people given them the advise as family. We wanted to honor that sense of family.”
Bracho Sanchez said they even extend into immigration issues. Many of their patients are undocumented families, so the pediatricians address questions on the value of visiting the doctors office. They had an immigration attorney join the podcast to talk about current laws and what to do when and if detained by ICE.
Latino mental health is another big topic.
Bracho Sanchez mentions that mental health is not often spoken about particularly in the Latino community and the thoughts of suicide due to different circumstances.
“I have seen patients with very real and imminent fear of deportation and worse school performance of children” due to stresses faced by Latinos, she said.
Impact of the Podcast
Bracho Sanchez and Castellanos currently have more than 2,300 listeners in 31 countries, whyy.org reports.
“To spread the word about the show, Bracho Sanchez and Castellanos are sharing the podcast with pediatricians around the country through the American Academy of Pediatrics and advertising on social media,” whyy.org reports, adding that they also are tapping Latina mom blogger networks.
Be sure to check out the podcast!
And find more information on Latino obesity, access to health care, and other issues impacting Latino health here on Salud America!
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This success story was produced by Salud America! with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The stories are intended for educational and informative purposes. References to specific policymakers, individuals, schools, policies, or companies have been included solely to advance these purposes and do not constitute an endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation. Stories are based on and told by real community members and are the opinions and views of the individuals whose stories are told. Organization and activities described were not supported by Salud America! or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and do not necessarily represent the views of Salud America! or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
