UAG Graduates open Medical Center in New York City

ITZAMNA MEDICAL CENTER FIRST TO FOCUS ON NEEDS OF
LATINO POPULATION IN NEW YORK CITY

Patient Advocacy a Priority at New Manhattan Facility

* There are 2.1 million Latinos in New York City
* - Latinos comprise 27% of the NYC population
* Over 30% of Latinos have no family doctor

New York (August 20, 2001) - In a move to address the pressing health needs of the Hispanic population in New York City, the Itzamna Medical Center, named after the Mayan deity that rules over healing and medicine, opened its doors today as the first treatment facility to provide first class, culturally sensitive healthcare services. "Itzamna Medical Center brings state-of-the-art medicine to the working class in New York City, particularly the rapidly growing Latino population here," said Dr. Hector Castro, Medical Director. Latinos are the largest minority group in New York City and in the United States, yet their healthcare status is among the worst. Why? Many Hispanics do not have access to Spanish-speaking healthcare professionals. Doctors that speak Spanish and understand the Latino culture are few, and U.S. medical schools produce only about 5% Hispanic physicians per year. In addition to the language barrier, Latinos go to the doctor less often because they lack health insurance, fear medical technology and, for illegal aliens, fear deportation.

Culturally Appropriate Healthcare Services When communication and cultural barriers hinder people from seeing a physician, or prevent doctors from understanding their patient's symptoms, proper medical care is impossible. Itzamna will remove this obstacle and improve the health status of Hispanics in New York. "We will be sensitive to the demands of the Latino culture, and strive to educate our patients and their families," said Dr. Castro. "This strategy allows all of us to become partners in any and all medical decisions." The founders of Itzamna Medical Center are Doctors Hector J. Castro and George A. Castro. All are graduates of Mexico's Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine, and they are affiliated with Cabrini Medical Center and Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

A Model That Exceeds Minority Boundaries Itzamna's mission extends beyond its own ability to care for patients. As the population of New York and the nation becomes more diverse, access to healthcare by minority groups will become a bigger issue. The new medical center hopes to foster change in the healthcare system by creating a new model for the medical establishment to follow. While focused on Latino healthcare, Itzamna welcomes everyone. "We want to ensure that the best treatment possible is accessible to anyone who needs it." said Dr. Castro. "Our goal is to combine humanistic and egalitarian values with the best tools and techniques of modern medicine." In addition, Itzamna's doctors are determined to reestablish the primacy of the general practitioner and provide state-of-the-art sub-specialty care to patients. "Doctors must have the ability to evaluate all medical issues and conditions, and direct treatment for everything from a common virus to life-threatening illnesses," said the center's medical director. "As doctors we are responsible for the entire well being of our patients."

"Experience shows that patients want a doctor that cares about them personally," adds Dr. Castro. "Modern medicine has forgotten this very important tenet, but it is one of Itzamna's primary goals." A White Stucco Building Housed in a former commercial building that has been completely remodeled for medical service, the Itzamna Medical Center comprises three levels of patient care areas that include offices, examination rooms, a state-of-the-art procedure room, a cardio-pulmonary and metabolic function laboratory, and a complete physical therapy center. The Itzamna Medical Center opens Monday August 20th on 359 Second Avenue in Manhattan, at 21st Street.

Please feel free to come and see our Medical Center, an attachment for link to NY1 Story that was aired last year is also being sent for your viewing. *****

 

Health Center Catering To Hispanics Opens In Manhattan

OCTOBER 08TH, 2001 In a move to address the pressing health needs of the Latino community in New York City, a new health center is opening its doors. Health Reporter Cheryl Wills has more as NY1 begins its coverage of Hispanic Heritage Week. Maria Anglero feels right at home at Itzamna Medical Center in Gramercy. She is one of the first patients of the new health facility which focuses on the special needs of Latinos.

"I do feel more comfortable," says Anglero. "I'm able to relate, and if I can't think of a word in English I say it in Spanish and he understands." There are more than two million Latinos in New York City, yet more than 30 percent of them have no family doctor. According to Dr. Hector Castro, the Medical Director of Itzamna: "Continuity of care is not there. In other words, we ask a lot of patients, and one of their main concerns is they see a different doctor every day they seek health care."

So Itzamna tries to provide continuity of care under one roof by providing a wide spectrum of healthcare services with a staff of six bi-lingual doctors.

"Patients sometimes, because of having their language barrier, they may see a physician first. Then they feel not comfortable and just forget about it and not to follow up with the physician," says Itzamna.

 

Dr. Farshad Shafizadeh adds, "It's physician driven. What that means is that we control their care. We don't have to ask permission from an administrator, and we can be more flexible in making certain therapies more accessible to them."

Latinos are disproportionately affected by conditions like asthma and diabetes, and the center has state of the art technology to diagnose and treat those illnesses.

 

And while the center is open to everyone, doctors say they hope Latinos in particular will come to view Itzamna as a culturally sensitive doctor's office.

Itzamna Medical Center
359 Second Avenue
NY, NY 10010
(212) 420-9225

- Cheryl Wills
NY1 News