Hispanic Healthcare is due for a Check-up

Imagine for a moment that your patient is the United States Healthcare system. It strikes an imposing figure; after all, it is one of the world’s most advanced and sophisticated institutions. And yet, it suffers from various diseases and ailments, not least of which is a chronic lack of health literacy among its users. Fortunately, this condition can be diagnosed and treated to great effect. For many Americans, and particularly for U.S. Hispanics, it’s a potentially deadly problem that demands attention. I know this because I have suffered its symptoms and worked to improve it, both as a member of the Hispanic community in the U.S. and as an advertising executive with deep experience in healthcare. And I’ve collaborated with a team of experts to prescribe a solution.

The Paradox of Our Healthcare System

In the United States, there is not a disease that cannot be diagnosed and treated by a world-class professional, in a state-of-the art facility, using the most advanced technology and the most efficient drugs. So why is it that the 2023 Harris Poll, commissioned by the American Academy of Physician Associates, shows that 73% of U.S. adults feel the healthcare system is failing to meet their needs?

There are usual factors – high costs, an underinsured population, and bureaucracy all play a role – but this paradox also has a not-so-evident explanation: the lack of health literacy of the American public. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, only 12% of U.S. adults have "proficient" health literacy (meaning that they are able to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services to make appropriate health decisions). 

In other words, we have a very sophisticated healthcare system, but we do not know how to use it! Add the language barrier and cultural nuances that U.S. Hispanics face and the challenge becomes exponentially more daunting. 

Navigating Healthcare: The Hispanic Experience

It is difficult to exaggerate how critical health literacy is for the Hispanic community. We know the instruction manual on how to use the U.S. healthcare system is incredibly complex and technical. Now, imagine those instructions come in a foreign language of which you have limited command. To put it in hard facts, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (HHS/ODPHP) reports that while 28% of US adults have a  "below basic" level of health literacy, 65%  of Hispanic adults have the same issue.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

There are myriad stories of the life-threatening consequences of this literacy gap. “I sent a middle-aged Latina woman to the Emergency Room for chest pain,” recalls Jacqueline Nuñez, MD, a Physician at Hippocrates Wellness Center in Palm Beach, FL. “The pain was described as sharp and radiating down her arm, and she also had shortness of breath. … She came back to see me within an hour and proceeded to tell me that the head of the ER department took one look at her and sent her on her way with the diagnosis of a panic attack. No EKG. No blood work. She had nothing done. Instead, she was told she was likely just having a panic attack.”

The inability of patients to communicate or even understand their basic rights can have dire repercussions, and these outcomes ripple through the community on a daily basis. “I wish I could say this was an isolated incident, but it was not,” said Nuñez. “It became the reason for me to do urgent care so that I could do everything possible for patients to avoid an ER visit.”

I don't have to imagine how Hispanics feel when tackling healthcare challenges or how important it is to address the issue of health literacy. I have faced these hurdles as a marketer, but also as a husband and father. 

From Personal Cause to Professional Mission

As a Hispanic advertising professional, I always saw improving health literacy and the healthcare experience for other members of my community as a worthy cause. But recent events have made the cause urgent and personal.

My wife and daughter faced alarming health scares at a time when we were transitioning healthcare coverage. We were trying to figure out what was covered and what was not, and finding the right healthcare providers for our needs. Then we needed to understand the benefits and potential risks of the medications prescribed. It was beyond overwhelming. It felt like we were trying to put together an enormous puzzle with mismatched pieces.

This experience confirmed what I had known from my work in the field: marketing and communication play a significant role in improving the healthcare experiences of Hispanic patients. By acknowledging and addressing their needs, we can make strides toward a better and more efficient system that works for all stakeholders. 

In my over 20 years of experience, I’ve been privileged to help many healthcare clients elevate their cultural competence and bridge the Hispanic literacy gap to produce better healthcare outcomes. To do this job successfully, I’ve partnered with the best Hispanic marketing professionals, picked the brains of experts, and invested countless hours interviewing patients and conducting primary and secondary research. 

This groundwork paved the way for highly successful marketing campaigns, which became case studies on how to replicate a proven approach for bridging the health literacy gap and measurably improving healthcare outcomes. It has culminated in the creation of a system specifically designed to help healthcare organizations effectively engage with the Hispanic community: Hispanic Healthcare Connect.

Introducing The Collab Hub’s Hispanic Healthcare Connector 

At The Collab Hub, we’ve partnered with leading experts in healthcare and Hispanic marketing to create Hispanic Healthcare Connector, an initiative that not only enhances the healthcare experience for U.S. Hispanics but also can generate significant savings in operational expenses for healthcare providers. As the audience learns to utilize the system better, it creates efficiencies that can significantly lower the use of emergency services and foster more preventive care, improving resource utilization and profitability.

National Library of Medicine

Here's an overview of the Hispanic Healthcare Connector process from our expert collaborators:

Checkup and diagnosis 

As with any effective medical solution, we start with a checkup that provides the strategic foundation for any proposed solution. Each healthcare system has its own challenges and services communities with unique characteristics. We begin by collecting relevant insights from the audience and analyzing its challenges, so our goals and the way we measure success is adapted to each situation. Through this careful diagnosis, we ensure the prescribed solution is as effective as it can be. 

“In dealing with the challenges of systems such as Kaiser Permanente, we have been able to capture insights and design solutions that keep the organization truly connected to its audience in a region where almost half of the population is of Hispanic origin,” says Antonio Marquez, Founder/Management Director of Expert Consulting.

Prescription

Reaching U.S. Hispanics is not about language. Or rather, it is not only about language. Latinos will engage with content in Spanish or English, provided it is culturally meaningful - in other words, shared experiences are just as pivotal as language. This is why we focus on creating content that resonates with the community, including the healthcare issues that matter most to them but also extending into lifestyle choices and cultural nuances that impact their health and wellness decisions. 

“As editor of Baptist Health’s bilingual Resource and Salud Magazine, I helped ensure that Baptist spoke the same language and addressed the pain points of its diverse South Florida community,” says Zain Deane, Content Strategist and CEO of MediaMoon Agency. 

Treatment

Reaching the Hispanic audience at the right time and in the right context is critical to providing timely solutions. Once we understand the triggers, preferences, and habits of the consumers we are reaching, we proceed to lay out an effective consumer channel journey. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach; recognizing the unique nuances and cultural contexts of each audience segment is crucial for identifying the right channels that truly connect and drive engagement to ensure successful outcomes.“We helped Geisinger Health Systems overcome challenges in reaching the Hispanic consumer market by developing a culturally sensitive communication strategy and delivering through a combination of digital and hyperlocal channels and community engagement. By bridging this gap, Geisinger saw a significant increase in engagement and trust within this important demographic, enhancing the consumer experience and  its overall market presence,” says Andreina Barroso, EVP Delivery at Captura Group.

Continued Care and Maintenance 

Always a priority, establishing a baseline and measuring pre-agreed variables is key to optimizing not only content but also distribution systems to get better outcomes. Recent experiences show outstanding ROI improvement when the audience response is measured and used to optimize content and channels.

Schedule a Consultation

If you’re an executive leader in a healthcare organization – Pharma, Healthcare System or Health Insurance Provider – who wants to grow your customer base and improve the healthcare experience and outcomes of the Hispanic population, our Healthcare Connector is the answer and a sure way to increase your revenue and reduce your operational costs. Schedule your free consultation here, or email us at info@thecollabhub.net.

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About the author:

Walter Boza is a transformational advertising leader with over 20 years of successful experience in strategy, account management and operations across the U.S. and International markets. He is the founder and one of the Collaborators at The Collab Hub.

About the collaborators:

Andreina Barroso, EVP Delivery at Captura Group and a collaborator at The Collab Hub, has been an industry-recognized marketing leader for over 20 years. She has shaped the multicultural marketing landscape through her expertise in strategy and media, consistently propelling business growth.

Zain Deane, founder and CEO of MediaMoon, is a transformational content strategist with over 20 years of successful experience in content strategy, account management and operations across the U.S. and international markets. He is one of the Collaborators at The Collab Hub.

Antonio Marquez is a passionately curious business strategist with over 20 years of experience in value creation, assisting organizations in accelerating profitable growth. With a blend of business acumen, problem-solving skills, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to connect and inspire people and teams, he helps them reach their true potential. He is also an avid smile hunter and the Founder/Management Director of Expert Consulting, a strategic marketing consultancy group focused on accelerating profitable growth for clients and part of The Collab Hub.

The Collab Hub is a network of independent advertising and marketing professionals ready to connect, collaborate, unlock, and flawlessly execute solutions for our clients’ marketing challenges.