Ocasio and Navarro of Community New Life Hospice reach out to Latinos

LORAIN: According to the Community New Life Hospice, it recognizes “that each culture has individual beliefs and practices that need to be revered and respected.”

The entire staff of Community New Life Hospice was educated on techniques to care for the Latino population through cultural diversity training. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Lorain has a population of 68,655 and 21 percent (14,189) of the population is Latino.

Joseph Ocasio, R.N., New Life Hospice nurse, and Sylvia Navarro, H.H.A., Community Health Partners Home health aide, volunteered to train fellow staff members on traditions and values of Latino families—they developed a curriculum, presentation and handouts to train their co-workers.
 

The class, “Communicating with the Latino Community,” was designed to give employees a deeper understanding and respect of Latino patients’ beliefs as well as reduce communication barriers to enhance the care and caring each patient receives.
 

Ocasio and Navarro presented background information on religion, family values, etiquette and risk factors for health related issues so the staff could gain a good knowledge base of the culture. To enhance communication between caregivers and Spanish-speaking patients, Ocasio and Navarro included a translation guide—the guide offers translations for basic phrases, comfort phrases and elementary facts.

In addition to the staff training, Community New Life Hospice educated potential volunteers in the local Latino Community. Ocasio and Navarro presented, “The Ministry of Hospice,” with members of Christian Tabernacle Church, in Lorain, to increase hospice awareness in the Latino population.

Ocasio explains, “Being Hispanic myself, I have reached out to my community to explain that hospice means more than just death. Through our recent efforts, we have seen an increase in the number of Hispanic patients we serve. New Life Hospice is committed to providing the best care for all cultures, we will continue our efforts to best serve and respect each patient’s culture and values.”

Community Health Partners is a full-service, not-for-profit, integrated healthcare delivery system, which provides inpatient, outpatient and ancillary services to Lorain County and surrounding counties through its three hospital facilities, physician offices, and specialized facilities.

Community Health Partners has affiliations with University Hospitals of Cleveland to provide advanced cancer care through the Ireland Cancer Center at Community Health Partners in Elyria. As a faith-based provider, Community Health Partners is part of Catholic Healthcare Partners, one of the largest not-for-profit healthcare systems in the United States and the largest healthcare system in Ohio.