A new partnership between Emory's Rollins School of Public Health and the Consulate General of Mexico will take an active role in promoting the health and wellbeing of Mexican nationals in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.

The program, called the Ventanilla De Salud –or a Window to Health—aims to promote quality, bicultural healthcare, education and referrals to the Mexican population. With Mexicans representing approximately two-thirds of the Latino population in many southern states, including Georgia, the program will also provide relevant hands-on training for Emory students to include Spanish improvement and cultural competency.

"This partnership is an extremely valuable asset," says Karen Andes, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health at Rollins School of Public Health. "There is a shortage of health professionals culturally and linguistically equipped to provide care for Latinos.  This partnership will enhance our ability to strengthen these capacities in the health professionals that we train."

The program will also focus on disseminating health education and prevention strategies, assist in enrolling Mexican nationals or individuals of Mexican origin into insurance programs, and providing screenings and health assessments.   

"The health status of people of Mexican origin or ancestry tends to worsen with the amount of time they spend in the US," explains Andes.  "The good news is that most in this population are young, so they have not yet developed serious chronic conditions. This program has a terrific opportunity to prevent the onset of disease and change the future health status of Latinos."

"For the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, this agreement with Emory represents a very significant step forward in our mission to protect and assist the Mexican population, in the States of Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama," says Consul General Ricardo Camara Sanchez. "With this collaboration that has no precedent on this region of the USA, we expect to create the necessary conditions to provide our community with assistance and information so they can prevent health risks, in particular for the community visiting the Consulate.  This agreement without a doubt, will have a positive impact in the near future for the Latino community of the region."