Studies recently published in Confronting Health Inequities in Latino Health Care, a supplement to the Journal of General Internal Medicine, indicate that disparities in care were reduced or eliminated for Latinos with patient-centered medical homes.

Awareness and treatment of chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension, improved among Mexican-Americans who had a usual source of care, such as a regular primary care physician. However, Latino groups in the United States are the least likely to live in patient-centered medical homes.

“Diabetes Awareness and Knowledge Among Latinos: Does a Usual Source of Healthcare Matter?,” conducted by Hector Gonzalez, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, found that the knowledge gained through access to a primary care physician lessened the effects of diabetes among Latino groups.

The study reported that Mexican-Americans with a usual source of health care – generally considered consistent access to a primary care physician -- were 20 percent more likely to have knowledge about diabetes and the use of important preventive services than those who reported that they did not have such access.

Latinos of Central and South American descent also had lower rates of having a usual source of health care, lower rates of health insurance coverage and lower annual household incomes.

“Our findings indicate that a usual source of health care may be a valuable tool for reducing risks and burden of diabetes, a major health problem,” said Dr. Gonzalez, also a member of the WSU Institute of Gerontology. “With dismay, our research also indicates that no progress has been made over the past decade in achieving the Healthy People 2010 objective of improving the proportion of Latinos with a usual source of health care.

While Latinos are the largest ethnic minority, they are also the least likely to have health care coverage, Dr. Gonzalez said. “Among Latinos, Mexicans, who make up over two-thirds of the Latino population in the United States, have the lowest rate of health care insurance. The bottom line is lack of health care insurance is a barrier to care.”

When the Latino population does gain access to health care, he noted, cultural barriers – primarily language – can arise.

Pointing to a growing Latino population in Detroit and southeast Michigan, Dr. Gonzalez said, “There are very dedicated people committed to Latino health in Michigan and Detroit who are struggling with shrinking budgets. I am delighted that student groups at Wayne, like Amigos Medicos, are looking ahead to the health needs of Michigan and the country. I believe the School of Medicine at Wayne State is well poised to help build the needed infrastructure for the future health needs of the region and the nation in serving diverse populations.”

The Amigos Medicos student group seeks to improve the health and well-being of underserved members of the local Hispanic population by providing free health education in the community as well as Spanish language instruction for future physicians. Graduating medical students who can speak Spanish will be in high demand as the state and nation’s Latino population continues to expand, Dr. Gonzalez said.

The study by Dr. Gonzalez was accompanied by two others examining disparities among Latinos in the United States. “Latino Access to the Patient Centered Medical Home” found that health care disparities were eliminated or reduced for Latinos who have a patient-centered medical home. But, only 35 percent of Mexican-Americans and 34.2 percent of Central and South Americans have such homes. A patient-centered medical home was defined as a personal physician who patients see regularly, who engages them in their own health and provides continuous comprehensive that includes preventive care and coordination of care.

“Predictors of Hypertension Awareness, Treatment and Control Among Mexican American Women and Men” showed that in Mexican-American adults with high blood pressure, 65 percent were unaware they had hypertension and 71 percent were not receiving treatment for the condition.