SALUD hosts annual health conference

SALUD, a Hopkins undergraduate service organization dedicated to aiding the Hispanic and Latino communities in Baltimore, held their fourth annual Student Leadership Conference, entitled "Changing the Face of Healthcare: Addressing Diversity and Disparities in Health Care" on Saturday.

Workshops and speakers throughout the all-day conference dealt with health issues faced by immigrants as well as the need of populations across the United States to access dependable medical care.

Freshman Adrianna Maldonado, cultural competency workshop coordinator for the group, was heartened by the number in attendance.

"We had a great turnout," she said, citing the welcoming environment and engaging speakers as key to the day's success. "The topics were interesting, and I feel that everyone that attended learned at least one new or interesting fact concerning the Hispanic community," Maldonado explained.

The conference featured a series of workshops led by experts in the health care field. Amy Wade of Language Line Services, a telephone translation and interpretation service, explained the difficulties faced by a typical immigrant confronted with an intense language barrier that makes access to medical services a challenge.

Dr. Olivia Carter of the University of Maryland also spoke, discussing the importance of being culturally competent when dealing with patients in hospital settings. Bernard Stupski of the International Family Medicine Clinic, Patricia Hatch of the Maryland Office for New Americans and Ann Kenny of the Center for Healthcare Outreach and Management Support also followed with talks on health care for refugees, immigration services and multicultural learning.

The Student Leadership Conference was the fourth since the group's inception in 2001. SALUD was founded by Yussein Aguirre, Melissa de Jesus, Maria del Pilar Ortega and Rumana Rahman, four Hopkins undergraduates who worked closely with the Hopkins administration and Angelo Solera, the Hispanic liaison for the Baltimore City Health Department, to get the organization on its feet.

Since inception, SALUD has gained official recognition and funding from the Hopkins Office of Volunteer Services and established a Board of Directors. The group has also been featured in the Johns Hopkins Gazette and the Baltimore Sun.

Cultural Competency Coordinator and Board of Directors member Maldonado explained that SALUD has already begun to enact its vision for the coming academic year. "Next year we will be working with Hopkins school of medicine, school of nursing, and school of public health to provide more service to the community."

"We are also attempting to get interpretation classes during Intersession which will provide all those that attend with certification. And we will also continue with our usual workshops in Children Health, Adult Health, and now we are adding workshops in lead poison prevention and Syphilis Education Outreach. And finally we will also be having our 6th annual SALUD Leadership Conference," she said.