Carlos Montilla

KINS 4306

Narrative

My project began with my interest within populations especially when divided into racial

and ethnic groups. But for all the wrong reason, the disparities among these groups just because

of the color of their skin or where they are from. This motivated me a Hispanic male to try and

attempt to reach these marginalized groups with resources to aid them. This was something that

needed to revolve around arthritis because at the core of things that is the specialty of my

internship site. So, in thinking of flowing arthritis and health disparities together came the idea

using their “INSIGHTS!” to do so. Which it is a survey regarding arthritis and healthcare

regarding that, but I knew not everyone has arthritis and would qualify. Once I set my mind on

doing a community outreach program geared to the Latinx community revolving around arthritis

but more broadly healthcare. Once I knew what I wanted to do I began the process of attempting

to design and develop outreach efforts. This meant getting familiar with the needs of the

community and what I can do. Which I conducted a health needs assessment analyzing data and

making sense of it, leading me to interesting findings. These findings confirmed somethings like

white women are affected more than any other group that we knew was true coming in due to our

INSIGHTS being dominated by them. But I also learned things like Hispanics may have a lower

prevalence than White adults yet have a higher reporting of activity limitations. This was very

interesting to me as it seems to be less doctor diagnosed cases with higher intensity in

comparison to the others. After having my findings regarding healthcare access and arthritis I

began working on an outreach effort. This led to me translate some of materials that provide

people with QR codes and links to free resources with some being in multiple languages, Local
event times and dates, opportunities to get involved, and other material. I translated our essential

material to give people the opportunity to read and get free resources. I first started off by

posting them in my mom’s office as she is an accountant in the Hispanic community. I placed the

content translated in a central spot in her waiting room that way people that were bored would

click on it or something. Which proved to be ineffective and didn’t generate anything aside from

1 response for being there 2 weeks. After that not going as planned, I went back and decided to

reach out to clinics and healthcare centers that focused on delivering care in Spanish to get right

into the community. I reached out to smaller places that way I can get in with permission quicker

rather going to corporation and having to go through multiple steps. I reached out to a total of 4,

which 3 of them didn’t respond and the last one kept saying I was calling at an off time. This

where I realized just how challenging this was going to be, I didn’t think it was going to be a

breeze by any means. After attempting to reach out to the one clinic that answered, I got

inpatient and ended up just showing up early one morning and was able to talk to front desk

management people. They allowed me to post the content on their board along with other

materials and approved of me coming in and talking to people while they wait. They only

allowed me to interact with people in their outdoor waiting room, which luckily worked out

because there was a max capacity inside leading majority of people in their cars or outdoor

seating. This is where it got tough, I would come up and introduce myself to folks that looked

intrigued by my presence, this would lead to a conversation about healthcare, and I would

incorporate arthritis into it or ignore my presence entirely. The ration of people that would talk to

versus wouldn’t was disproportionately. Majority of people were not having it. But if we got into

conversation and arthritis got incorporated and they, had it I would pull up the survey and aid

them take it or let them, do it, around 1 in 15-20 people would make it to the survey and
qualified. But like mentioned earlier I knew not everyone would qualify, so I made a survey

myself to add to the data collected from INSIGHTS. This survey was more focused on the

determinants and self-perception of health. People that didn’t qualify for the survey but still

wanted help took the survey I designed. Which ended up bringing a multitude of factors to light.

From that day I had a total of 12 entries, 4 to INSIGHTS and 8 for my own survey. Now that was

done, I can go back and look at INSIGHTS on weekly basis starting in July and can see the

progress if my outreach efforts led to more Hispanic community members being represented in

these data sets.

What I did was needed because health is a natural human right for anyone that embodies

a morale compass. Which shocking that because of the color of my skin or your skin we don’t

have equal access to healthcare. Because of simply where I was born geographically, I am

predestined to worst off. All that to me is wrong and disbelief we live like that. Myself a member

of the Latinx community have witnessed and sometimes even experienced some the struggles I

write about. This is almost personal to me, and it is something I have a drive for. Not everyone

has the opportunity at an education, but I did, and I want to help good people that are neglected

yet are the backbone of the country. This is something that can shed light on health disparities

not only among arthritis patients but just medical care and access across the boards. Doing

something like at least brings people closer to resources where they can utilize them to their

advantages. As well to be represented fairly regarding the data. Which is vital because people

look at the data when designing programs to aid marginalized groups, but there is nothing help if

there is no data on said topic. Overall, I know there are many factors the lead to these data

outcomes, but this was needed to give the Latinx community the best chance to be represented

and aided that I can do given my resources.

 Evaluating myself and looking back it, with the resource’s I had and what I wanted to do

I am content. I was able to reach members that were Hispanic and had arthritis even thought it

was only 4 on the INISIGHTS it was more than what we started off with. I also was able to

collect data to help me link factors that lead to these health disparities and the findings have

allowed me to make connections regarding education levels, language barrier, preconceived

notions, and other factors going into their health care/access. That is why I am content with work

done because I was able to help the foundation by getting more Hispanic involved with their

insights and the secondary survey, I asked allowed to see connections in the factors affecting

health/healthcare. Things I would have done differently would include finding a health fair or

any health event, this can lead to people wanting to seek our resource’s leading to more

engagement. In doing so it would make it easier to engage with people and could have led to

more participation in the outreach effort. Another thing would’ve been done differently is have

small things to incentives people, just to get them to listen to you. Like a free cup or stress ball

would have been great way to initiate things rather than it just being me. I also would’ve done

small things like more vibrant paper color to catch the eyes also reduce some of the writing in

our content because it is a lot, and no one is going to read all of it with a glance. Many things to

change to increase the chances of success, but for my first time going into the real world it will

suffice and prepare for future experiences.