CHICAGO, June 30, 2021 — The Alzheimer’s Association and the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) are partnering to increase concern and awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and all other dementia in Hispanic and Latino communities. The new collaboration will begin by providing much-needed, culturally-informed care and support programming and webinars, volunteer engagement, training, and support services.
Hispanics are disproportionately impacted by
Alzheimer’s; they are 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia than their White counterparts. Furthermore, nearly 40% of Hispanic Americans believe their race makes it harder for them to get excellent care for Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, according to the recently published
Alzheimer’s Association 2021 Facts & Figures special report. Discrimination, lack of diversity among health care professionals and mistrust in medical research are among the barriers to high quality care that Hispanics face, according to the report.
“The Alzheimer’s Association is excited to work with the NHMA to increase education, awareness and to decrease stigma of Alzheimer’s and other dementia among Hispanics and Latinos through our wide-reaching networks,” said Carl V. Hill, Ph.D., MPH, Alzheimer’s Association chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. “We hope this partnership will help identify and eliminate health barriers that exist in Hispanic and Latino communities.”
Various awareness-raising initiatives will be created through this partnership, including:
“The National Hispanic Medical Association looks forward to partnering with the Alzheimer’s Association to educate physicians and their patients to improve caregiving for persons with dementia among Latino families,” said Elena Rios, MD, MSPH, FACP, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association.
About the Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia®. For more information, visit www.alz.org or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.
About the National Hispanic Medical Association
Established in 1994 in Washington, DC, the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) is a non-profit association representing the interests of 50,000 licensed Hispanic physicians in the United States. The mission of the organization is to empower Hispanic physicians to lead efforts to improve the health of Hispanic and other underserved populations in collaboration with Hispanic state medical societies, residents, medical students, and other public and private sector partners. Visit nhmamd.org to learn more.