In October, the Duke Cancer Institute Office of Health Equity (DCI OHE) and the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh collaborated to bring awareness to breast, uterine, and cervical cancer detection and prevention through a webinar conducted in Spanish via Facebook LIVE. The event was part of Semana Binacional de Salud 2021 (Binational Health Week 2021), which was created by the Government of Mexico, through the Ministries of Health and Foreign Relations, to raise awareness and respond to the unique healthcare challenges of Mexicans and other Latinos living in the United States and Canada.
The Oct. 26 community event included a pre-recorded presentation by DCI gynecologic oncologist Rafael Gonzalez, MD, and a live presentation by Nadia Aguilera-Funez, a certified patient navigator/health educator with OHE.
The event was moderated by Mónica Colin Gutierrez, Consul for Community Affairs at the Consulate (pictured in the circle image above), and also included the participation of María Sánchez, the Consulate's coordinator for La Ventanilla de Salud (VDS), a program of the Government of Mexico developed by the Department of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Implemented through 50 Mexican consulates in the U.S. and local health organizations, the Ventanillas, according to the VDS website, "provide reliable information on health topics, counseling and referrals to available and accessible health services in local communities" and the program "was designed to improve the physical and mental health of Mexicans and their families living in the United States and to increase access to primary and preventive health insurance coverage and ensure culturally sensitive services in order to reduce the use of emergency services."
This is the second women's health event that DCI OHE and the Mexican Consulate have partnered on in service to the community. On March 31, 2021, the two collaborated on a similar community-focused webinar (also in Spanish) on prevention and screening for breast and cervical cancer.
