Claudia Martinez
Hispanic Community Engagement Manager
Davis Phinney Foundation
[email protected]
720-897-6902
The Davis Phinney Foundation invites the Hartford Spanish-speaking Parkinson’s community to the event “Healthy Brains/Healthy Communities – Hartford” on Sunday, September 15, 2024.
In collaboration with Hartford HealthCare, the Davis Phinney Foundation is hosting this free community event at The Artist Collective (1200 Albany Ave., Hartford, CT 06112) as part of its national Healthy Parkinson’s Communities™ initiative, on Sunday, September 15, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Hartford, CT – Some estimates suggest that in the U.S. approximately 90,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s each year. Although Hispanics make up about 19% of the total population in the country, this segment of the population is significantly underrepresented in studies on said condition. Furthermore, as the global prevalence of Parkinson’s increases, very little is still known about the availability of educational resources in Spanish and the quality of life of people living with Parkinson’s within the Hispanic community.
Neurologist Maria Moro de Casillas, a movement disorders specialist with Hartford HealthCare, oversees the only Spanish-speaking clinic for Parkinson’s patients in Hartford, Connecticut. She states: “As a Hispanic myself, throughout my career in healthcare I have noticed that Hispanics with Parkinson’s do not have the same access as the majority of the population living with this condition in the United States. And I am not only talking about advanced or cutting-edge interventions and treatments. Hispanics lack access to educational resources and opportunities that, as we know, are crucial for better understanding of this condition and advocating for themselves to improve their quality of life.”
The Davis Phinney Foundation is committed to changing this current situation, as noted by Claudia Martinez, Hispanic Community Engagement Manager: “To achieve sustainable change, we need to work collaboratively with local organizations like Hartford HealthCare and with leaders such as Dr. Moro de Casillas. Our goal is to create culturally focused educational spaces that invite the Hispanic community to learn about brain health, diseases like Parkinson’s, and the resources available to them.”
The “Healthy Brains/Healthy Communities – Hartford” event, part of The Victory Summit® series, will take place on Sunday, September 15. This event, made possible thanks to the collaboration between the Davis Phinney Foundation and Hartford HealthCare, will feature local organizations such as the University of Connecticut, Dance and Wellness, and The Center for Healthy Aging, among others. It is the first Spanish-language event on brain health and Parkinson’s offered in Hartford and will include simultaneous interpretation into English.
“The language barrier is not the only challenge we need to overcome to improve the services offered to the Hispanic population. What is truly needed is culturally competent care,” says Dr. Moro de Casillas. That is why this event features not only Hispanic exhibitors and panelists but also a health and community fair, Latin music, lunch prepared by a local Hispanic restaurant, and interactive opportunities for the community’s voice to be heard.
Participation in the “Healthy Brains/Healthy Communities – Hartford” event is free, but pre-registration is required. Interested individuals can register using this link or by calling (720) 361-1573.
For more information, please email [email protected] or visit the event’s website at https://dpf.org/vs-hartford.
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About the Davis Phinney Foundation
The Davis Phinney Foundation was founded by Olympic cyclist Davis Phinney in 2004 to help people with Parkinson’s Live Well Today. The Foundation focuses on providing programs, early-stage research, and educational resources to help those living with Parkinson’s improve their quality of life. Parkinson’s is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in the United States, after Alzheimer’s, affecting over one million people nationwide. The Foundation’s work positively impacts hundreds of thousands of individuals and families each year.
About Hartford HealthCare
The David & Rhoda Chase Family Movement Disorders Center combines the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic skills to provide compassionate and comprehensive care in the management of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other movement disorders. Every patient receives a personal and truly integrated approach to treatment that is focused on helping people with movement disorders continue to do the things they need to do and love to do for as long as possible.
The David and Rhoda Chase Family Movement Disorders Center is committed to empowering people with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders to do the things they love, extend their freedom of movement, and enhance their quality of life.
Learn more at hhcmovementdisorders.org
