Skip to Main Navigation Skip to Main Content Skip to Footer
search play2 play3 facebook twitter linkedin2 cross instagram
ASCP
  • DASHBOARD
  • STORE
  • LOGOUT
  • STORE
  • LOGIN
Menu
  • Membership
    • Membership Overview
      • Become a Member
      • Member Testimonials
    • Member Resources
      • My Dashboard
      • Manage My Education
      • Renew My Membership
      • Member Center
      • Find a Mentorship
      • Councils & Committees
      • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Awards & Recognition
      • Member Rewards
      • Lab Week
      • ASCP News
    • My Role
      • Pathologist
      • Laboratory Professional
      • Pathology Resident
      • Residency Program Director
      • Lab Sciences Program Director
      • Laboratory Science Student
      • Medical Student
    • Career Resources
      • Find a Job
      • Post a Job
      • Find a Pathology Fellowship
      • Post a Fellowship
      • Learn About Careers
      • Scholarships & Grants
  • Learning
    • Learning Overview
    • Certificate Programs
      • Lab Management University
      • University of Path Informatics
      • Leadership Institute
    • Live Events
      • ASCP Annual Meeting
      • Virtual Pathology Grand Rounds
      • KnowledgeLab
    • Resources
      • Access My Education
      • Manage CMP
      • Manage CC
    • ASCPedia
    • Online Education
      • Online CE Packages
      • LabQ
      • Case Reports
      • Resident Question Bank (RQB)
      • MLS Online Review Course
      • Webcasts
      • Patient Safety
      • Featured Education
    • Quality Improvement & Quality Assurance
      • Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
      • National Pathology Quality Registry (NPQR)
      • CheckPath
      • GYN Assessment
      • Non-GYN Assessment
      • GYN Proficiency Testing
    • Books & Journals
      • Books
      • American Journal of Clinical Pathology (AJCP)
      • Lab Medicine
      • Critical Values
    • ACCME ACCREDITATION
  • Advocacy & Outreach
    • Institute For Science Technology, and Public Policy
      • ASCP Policy Efforts
      • Choosing Wisely
      • Guidelines & Resources
      • Workforce Initiatives
      • ePolicy News
    • Center For Global Health
      • Overview
      • Communicable Diseases (HIV)
      • Non-Communicable Diseases (Cancer)
      • Volunteer with CGH
    • ASCP Foundation
      • Make a Donation
      • Providing Scholarships, Grants, & Fellowships
      • Improving Global Health
      • Increasing Lab Visibility
      • ASCP General Fund
      • Ways to Donate
    • Get Involved
      • Discover Opportunities to Get Involved
      • Foster Diversity & Inclusion
      • ASCP Councils & Committees
      • Career Ambassadors
      • Pathology Ambassadors
      • Discover Mentorships
      • Apply to Volunteer
    • Laboratory Excellence
      • Leading Laboratories
      • National Pathology Quality Registry (NPQR)
      • Awards & Recognition
      • Lab Week
    • Patient Champions
  • About ASCP
    • About ASCP
      • ASCP Mission
      • Supporting Our Members
      • ASCP Foundation
      • Community Efforts
      • Work at ASCP
    • Contact Us
  • Board of Certification
    • BOC home
    • About The BOC
      • About the BOC
        • BOC Structure
          • BOC Mission
          • BOC Partners
          • Contact BOC
          • Appeals
        • News and Reports
          • Transition of MT/MLS and MP/MB
          • Newsletters
          • BOC Awards
          • Lab Hero Interviews
          • Statistics / Practice Analyses
      • What We Do
        • Our Services
          • Certs & Quals
          • CMP
          • Verify Credentials
      • Governance
        • Committees
          • Exam Committee
          • Board of Governors
        • International Governance
          • Advisory Boards
          • Collaborating Societies
      • Volunteer
        • Volunteer Opportunities
          • Exam Committees
          • International Volunteer Opportunities
          • ASCP
    • Get Credentialed
      • Certification Exam Process
        • Get Ready to Apply
          • General Information
          • Determine Category & Route
          • Compare US & International Certification
        • Gather Documentation
          • US Certification
          • International Certication
          • US Military
        • Before Exam
          • Schedule a Date
          • Study Materials
        • Exam Day
          • The Test Center
          • The Examination
        • After Exam
          • Pass The Exam
          • Fail The Exam
      • U.S. Certifications
        • Highest Volume
          • HT
          • MLS
          • MLT
          • PBT
        • Technician
          • HT
          • MLA
          • MLT
          • PBT
          • DPT
        • Technologist/Scientists
          • BB
          • C
          • CG
          • CT
          • H
          • HTL
          • M
          • MB
          • MLS
        • Specialist
          • SBB
          • SC
          • SCT
          • SCYM
          • SH
          • SM
          • SMB
        • Additional
          • DLM
          • PA
      • International Certifications
        • Highest Volume
          • MB
          • MLS
          • MLT
          • PBT
        • Technician
          • HT
          • MLT
          • PBT
        • Technologist/Scientists
          • BB
          • MB
          • MLS
          • C
          • CG
          • CLM
          • CT
          • CTGYN
          • H
          • HLT
          • M
        • Specialist
          • SBB
          • SC
          • SCT
          • SCYM
          • SH
          • SM
          • SMB
      • Qualifications
        • Get Ready to Apply
          • General Information
          • Determine Category and Exam Route
          • Gather Document
        • Examination
          • Take the Exam
          • Pass the Exam
          • Fail the Exam
        • Qualifications
          • QBRS
          • QDP
          • QIA
          • QIHC
          • QLS
      • State Licensure
        • California State Licensure
          • California State Licensure Only
          • ASCP Certification & CA Licensure
          • Already ASCP Certified
        • New York State Licensure
          • New York State Licensure Only
          • ASCP Certification & NY Licensure
          • Already ASCP Certified
        • Additional Licensure States
          • Florida
          • Hawaii
          • Louisiana
          • Montana
          • Nevada
          • North Dakota
          • Tennesee
          • West Virginia
          • Puerto Rico
    • Stay Credentialed
      • Information About CMP
        • CMP Overview
          • CMP Process
          • Synchronize Multiple Credentials
        • Credential Status
          • Mandatory
          • Voluntary
          • Expired
          • Inactive
        • How to Manage Points
          • How to Earn Points
          • How to Record Points
          • Suggested CE Providers
          • When to Submit a Declaration
          • COVID Related CE Form
      • U.S. Certifications
        • Highest Volume
          • HT
          • MLS
          • MLT
          • PBT
        • Technician
          • HT
          • MLA
          • MLT
          • PBT
          • AT
          • DPT
        • Technologist/Scientists
          • BB
          • C
          • CG
          • CT
          • H
          • HTL
          • M
          • MB
          • MLS
        • Specialist
          • SBB
          • SC
          • SCT
          • SCYM
          • SH
          • SM
          • SMB
          • HP
          • SLS
          • SV
        • Additional
          • DLM
          • PA
      • International Certifications
        • Highest Volume
          • MB
          • MLS
          • MLT
          • PBT
        • Technician
          • HT
          • MLT
          • PBT
        • Technologist/Scientists
          • BB
          • C
          • CG
          • CLM
          • CT
          • CTGYN
          • H
          • HTL
          • M
          • MB
          • MLS
        • Specialist
          • SBB
          • SC
          • SCT
          • SCYM
          • SH
          • SM
          • SMB
      • Qualifications
        • Qualifications
          • QBRS
          • QDP
          • QIA
          • QIHC
          • QLI
          • QLS
    • Verify Credentials
      • General Information
        • Topics
          • Citation of Credentials
          • Fraudulent Use of Credentials
          • Replacement Wall Certificates
      • How to Verify
        • Options for Verifying Credentials
          • Getting Started
          • For Certification/Qualification
          • For State Licensure
          • For Visa Screen
          • Place an Order
    • Program Directors
      • Program Director Resources
        • Resources
          • BOC Resources
          • Accreditation Agencies
      • Manage Your Students
        • Tools & Reports
          • Tools for Students
          • EEV
          • PPR
      • Certification Information
        • Exams Offered
          • Certification Exams
          • HT/HTL
          • Military Certifications
          • Phlebotomy Programs
  • News
  • News
  • News Archive
  • Groups
  • Jobs
  • ASCP
  • News Archive
  • News Detail

Widening Understanding of Health Disparities in LatinX Communities

Publication Date: Sep 23, 2021
Emilia Marrero-Greene MEd, M(ASCP)CM, MT(AAB), associate professor for MLT/MLS Programs at Keiser University in Orlando, Florida, is a second-generation Puerto Rican-American. She was raised with a rich cultural heritage and appreciation for her LatinX roots, and is excited that her culture is being more fully embraced in the United States. She shares her thoughts on how healthcare providers can deepen understanding of the LatinX community, and more, below. 

How much farther do we need to go to achieve more progress for the LatinX community, and how can we accomplish that?  
We must begin to celebrate ALL of the contributions of the LatinX community to society. Everyone loves our food, entertainers and sports figures, but not many people know of our contributions to the military, politics, science, education and technology. Our contributions in these areas are numerous and impressive, and yet most Americans would have to complete a Google search to come up with any names of notable LatinX scientists or politicians. Ellen Ochoa (the first Hispanic woman to go to space) should be taught about in schools in the same way that Sally Ride is. I would also like to see more promotion of STEM careers for our communities. LatinX children deserve the same opportunities in education that all Americans are given.

What are the health myths in the LatinX culture and how do they play out in terms of access to care?

Like many underserved groups in the United States, the LatinX community falls victim to many health-related falsehoods. LatinX Americans get sick in the same way that our non-LatinX counterparts do. The leading causes of death are the same for both populations. The notion that we bring in rare diseases from our home countries is dangerous and insulting. In fact, most of the LatinX population of the U.S. were actually born here, so we are not bringing diseases across the border with us. However, race, education and socioeconomic conditions do influence our overall health. Take inadequate access to preventative health measures and combine it with language barriers and/or discriminating government policies and you have the perfect formula for the health disparities that often plague our communities. 

How can health professionals widen their understanding about LatinX communities?
Fortunately, our communities have education on their side. So many LatinX men and women are flocking to careers in health care themselves. It’s an exciting time for the LatinX community when it comes to laboratory science, nursing, pharmacology and other health-related fields. We can share what we have learned with the older generations, and impart knowledge to help them navigate their own health successfully. What other health professionals can do to widen their understanding is to continue to support community outreach programs that enhance access to healthy practices, vaccination education and other disease prevention measures. We must continue to be mindful of our differences, both the ones that might hinder our health, and the ones that we can call on to enrich our society.

To learn what other Latinx leaders from the pathology and laboratory medicine community have to say about what it means to be Latinx in health care, click here. 
Footer
  • Membership
    • Membership Overview
    • Member Resources
    • My Role
    • Career Resources
  • Learning
    • Online Education
    • Certificate Programs
    • Quality Improvement & Quality Assurance
    • Live Events
    • Books & Journals
    • Resources
    • ASCPedia
    • ACCME Accreditation
  • Advocacy & Outreach
    • Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy
    • Center for Global Health
    • ASCP Foundation
    • Patient Champions
    • Get Involved
  • About ASCP
    • Contact Us
    • Chat with Us
  • Board Of Certification
    • Get Credentialed
    • Stay Credentialed
    • Verify Credentials
    • Program Directors
    • About the BOC
  • News
    • ePolicy News
Chicago (Headquarters)
33 West Monroe Street, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60603

Privacy Policy 

Terms of Use

Follow Us

Copyright ©2021 by American Society for Clinical Pathology. All Rights Reserved.

Live Chat

First Name*
Last Name*
Email*
Customer ID