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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Magdalena Castro-Lewis¹, Yadira Almodovar-Diaz, MPH¹, and Ahmed Martinez, MA². (1) Center for Providers, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, 1501 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, 202-797-4348, mclewis@hispanichealth.org, (2) Community Services-Helplines, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, 1501 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

With the approval of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, Medicare experienced one of the most significant overhauls in the program's 40-year history. For the first time ever, Medicare beneficiaries can rely on the program to get their prescription drugs. As with any change in an established program, the 43 million participants are experiencing a period of challenging adaptation to the new rules. Among those affected by the changes are the nearly 4 million Hispanics in the U.S. who get their health coverage through Medicare.

In response to the challenges encountered in Hispanic communities, the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (Alliance) developed the La Promesa: Delivering the Medicare Message to Hispanics program. This model program established a community-based capacity and used the Alliance's Su Familia: National Hispanic Family Health Helpline to inform and support Hispanic sign-up for both the new Medicare Prescription Drug benefit and the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) available for Medicare beneficiaries. Implemented through 22 community-based organizations in 17 states, the La Promesa has afforded valuable lessons in reaching and providing health and human supportive services to Hispanics with Medicare.

As the Hispanic population continues to grow older, health and human service providers are in need of culturally proficient health promotion tools and strategies to increase the potential to inform, expand outreach, and provide supporting services to Hispanics. This presentation will discuss the integration of a culturally proficient community model into consumer-based Medicare education strategies, and using case studies will illustrate the experience of Hispanics with the new Medicare.

Learning Objectives: