As you may know, Hispanics suffer disproportionately from chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity, and health literacy rates among Hispanics are lower than those of non-Hispanic white adults. United Healthcare believes that consumers, who fully understand their healthcare benefits and the value of a healthy lifestyle, are more likely to use screening services and practice prevention.
As a company serving more than 2 million Hispanics nationwide, UnitedHealthcare has come up with bilingual innovative tools to help educate Hispanics on how to prevent disease and improve health. The tools, which use technology to overcome language and cultural barriers, include:
- An easy-to-navigate bilingual (Spanish-English) website with comprehensive health care information and tools, including a provider directory
- An Internet kiosk with bilingual medical information, educational fotonovelas, health brochures and podcasts
- A bilingual mobile website with fitness tips and healthy living, recipes, a glossary of health and insurance terms and audio podcasts, all available via any smart phone, without the need of internet access from a computer
As a result of these efforts, the National Hispanic Medical Association is awarding Russ Bennett, vice president of UnitedHealthcare’s Latino Health Solutions, the Hispanic Health Leadership Award at the National Hispanic Medical Association’s 16th Annual Conference that’s taking place this weekend.