Diabetes and other diseases, however, are still at higher rates amongst the group.

Graphic: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A study by UCLA concluded in 2016 found out that Latinos live longer than any other ethnicities. In comparison to Caucasians, for instance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Latinos live three years more, with a life expectancy of 82 versus 79.

In 2013, another study by The American Journal of Public Health had also discovered that healthy Latino adults face a 30 percent lower risk of death in comparison to other groups.

That does not mean, however, that the Latino community should not be concerned. The group still experience higher rates of cardiovascular diseases because of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.

" Urgency" is not the reason why most of the people choose urgent care.

Graphic used in the study that shows the reasons patients chose to seek care in the urgent care setting

A study by BMC Health Services Research shows that inappropriate use of urgent care for non-urgent patients is a "growing problem with significant economic and healthcare consequences".

The purpose of this study was to determine the motivation behind, and characteristics of, adult patients who choose to access health care in our urgent care clinic. A total of 1, 006 patients were randomly surveyed. According to the study, approximately 50% were Hispanic, and over 20% of adults presenting for care spokeonly Spanish, while 25% of patients identified Spanish as their preferred language.

Despite a common belief that patients seek care in the urgent care setting primarily for economic reasons, this study suggests that patients choose the urgent care setting based largely on convenience and more timely care. This information is especially applicable to the potential increase in urgent care volume in a universal healthcare system.

Meet Arthur J. Engler, PhD, RN. Art is an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing. His academic areas of interest include psychiatric/mental health nursing, and neonatal tertiary care and pediatric primary care. Professor Engler is a member of NAHN, and is passionate about providing nursing students with the skills to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients. He is a nationally certified Bilingual Health Care Provider. We had the pleasure of speaking with Professor Engler a bit about his career, experiences and impetus for teaching a medical Spanish course at UConn, and experience with Canopy’s Medical Spanish Training Course.