|
La primera minoría en los Estados Unidos
son los Latinos, que han rebasado por un "cachito"
a los negros. (Latinos are the largest minority
group in the United States, slightly overtaking the
African Americans.) This has powerful implications for
the health care of diverse populations in the United
States as well as students in health care programs.
One out of every four Hispanics lives in Arizona. I
decided it was time to experience diversity by studying
Spanish for more than a week in La Paz, Mexico, at an
immersion school, Se Habla La Paz. [NURSEWEEK featured
a story about this school for health care professionals
last year.]
As I injected myself in this warm, friendly culture,
enjoying a family-centered people, a central feeling
of well-being, happiness and zest for life emerged.
Children are everywhere at all times of the day and
night. Families celebrate life each day in every way
with music, eating, playing, working and praying. Economic
resources are very limited. At the hospital, resources
are so limited that there are no sheets on the beds.
They simply wore out and there is no money to replace
them.
Many nurses work in the U.S. Public Health Service
and have many American Indian patients with overwhelming
health problems due to lack of resources. Nontraditional
healers are the usual part of health care along with
herbal medicine. There is some sense of healing as alternative
medicine is combined with traditional medicine. Again,
family-centering, tradition and heritage bring stability
and a sense of well-being as the spiritual beliefs and
practices support healing in a diverse way.
We have large Arab populations who celebrate life in
different ways, as do Asians. I came to appreciate the
many ways that health care is accepted according to
Arab beliefs, as I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia
for four years. I was privileged to be a guest at a
baby-welcoming party when the infant of an Arabic family
was 3 months old and deemed healthy for visitors. No
baby showers. The infant mortality rate is high in Saudi
Arabia.
Visiting barefoot doctor's clinics, hospitals, herbal
medicine pharmacies and acupuncture clinics in China
several years ago gave me an appreciation of healing
possibilities other than what I was used to. Yet we
tend to follow our nursing practice according to Western
medicine edicts and it does not always work. We also
have the heritage of our grandmother's healing remedies-which
still may have healing powers-for colds, stomach upsets
and the like.
Nursing can make a difference for cultural diversity
and ethnic minority health care. Our future depends
on integrating diversity in nursing education and in
all practice settings.
Discuss this and other topics with your colleagues
at www.nurseweek.com/rnvillage
|
