Salud Program
The Salud program is a health promotion and support program for people who have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or difficulty controlling their weight. Our highly-trained health promoters and case managers, along with two nurses (who are both Certified Diabetes Educators), help patients to make healthy changes in their lives. They work with patients and their families in the clinic and in their home and also provide group classes. They teach patients healthier ways to eat and help them with their exercise plan, as well as teaching them about diabetes and other health conditions. They work closely with the patient’s doctor to make sure they get the care they need, and can help solve problems related to appointments, tests and medications. The Salud program is free for any La Clínica patient who needs it.
Our Salud Staff:
Evaristo Romero has worked for La Clínica’s Salud program for 3 ½ years. He loves the opportunity to teach patients and make a difference in their disease management. He has recently gained new skills in helping people manage their weight in a healthy way, and has been very popular in that role! He teaches classes and provides one-on-one support for many patients. He knows that health promoter programs enable the clinic to reach many more people, in ways that are effective for conveying health information and support.
Alicia Sandoval – Alicia is proud to have worked at La Clínica for the past year. She loves her job, because she thinks the health promotion programs are a great way to assist people who are learning to take better care of their diabetes, their blood pressure, their cholesterol or their weight. She has learned a great deal from working here that she has applied in her own life, and that helps her serve patients better. She thinks it is important for the clinic to have health promoter programs, because the style of teaching (using Popular Education) is very effective and makes difficult concepts easier to understand.
Margie Dogotch, RN, CDE Margie has been at LCDC since 1988 in a variety of roles. The two that she has enjoyed the most have been as Program Manager of first, our Perinatal Program and at present, the Salud Program. She works with Health Promoters to provide education, case management and advocacy for those patients who are working to manage their diabetes, weight, cholesterol or hypertension. She feels that the clinic has provided her tremendous opportunity for growth, and it has been a pleasure to work with our providers who are very willing to work with other disciplines, i.e. nurses and health promoters, in order to provide better care to our patients.
She feels that our health promoter programs are important, because the complexity of our medical systems makes it extremely difficult for most patients to clearly understand their health issues and the medical recommendations they receive. As “puentes” or “bridges”, the Health Promoters provide the explanation and support patients need to make necessary lifestyle changes and follow their provider’s recommendations. Because of this support and education, our patients are assured of receiving the best care possible.
