LATINO RESEARCH CENTER NEWS RELEASE
This morning, the UNR Latino Research Center revealed the bilingual materials for the public awareness campaign titled: “¡NO a los Médicos Clandestinos!” – Say NO to Unlicensed Physicians!
Since the beginning of January, the UNR Latino Research Center (LRC) has been developing a public awareness campaign to combat unlicensed health care in Nevada, specifically in Nevada’s Latino community. The campaign, titled “NO a Los Médicos Clandestinos” launched today with a press conference at 10:00 a.m.
This statement was sent after the press conference:
This morning, the UNR Latino Research Center revealed the bilingual materials for the public awareness campaign titled: “¡NO a los Médicos Clandestinos!” – Say NO to Unlicensed Physicians! April is National Minority Health Month and we are proud to launch this campaign on this day in April. During the conference, we presented our awareness materials, announced Nevada 2-1-1 as our hotline and disclosed plans for a media campaign.
The awareness campaign has multiple components. We have created bilingual posters and brochures and we will be distributing these materials across the state at various businesses and to targeted organizations. The brochure provides information about unlicensed doctors, how to detect a certified physician and where to go to get help or additional information. The brochure is meant to give people the knowledge they need to make an informed decision when choosing a physician or undergoing a medical procedure.
We want community members to feel comfortable in reporting illegal medical activity, and Nevada 2-1-1 has agreed to provide that assistance. Nevada 2-1-1 has agreed to make its services available to the Nevada State Health Division to take reports from Nevada’s citizens-at-large in regard to unlicensed health care activity. The goal is to get as much information as possible regarding the illegal activity by completing an intake form. Callers may remain anonymous if they so wish. Anyone wanting to report illegal medical activity may simply dial 2-1-1 from any phone in Nevada and they will be connected to a staff member who can take down the report. People may also text their five-digit zip code to 898211. Once someone texts their zip code, they receive an automatic reply. The staff responds after the automatic response has been sent. It then becomes a live back and forth conversation – similar to instant messaging.
Another important component of this campaign is our Community Health Resource List. This list is available on our website and it includes what we believe to be a thorough list of health-related resources across the state. Not everyone has access to affordable healthcare and uninsured and low-income community members need to know where they can find medical services at discounted rates. We hope that Nevadans will use this list to find affordable healthcare options in their area. Part of the problem of unlicensed healthcare stems from people not knowing about other alternatives. This list gives many options for alternatives. Currently, the list is only available in English, but it will be available in Spanish by the end of the week. This list is also available in a downloadable form on our website.
Lastly, we are in the process of finalizing a PSA media campaign with the Nevada Broadcasters Association and others. The statewide radio campaign component will begin a week from today and run through May, June and July.
All of these materials are available online at www.unr.edu/latinocenter. By the end of April, hard copies of these materials should be available in many different community-servicing centers all over Nevada.
We are cognizant of the fact that 70% of the population is in the Las Vegas area and we have been working with many organizations in Southern Nevada, such as St. Rose Dominican Hospitals and the Mexican Consulate, to make sure that the Latino population in Southern Nevada is fully provided with this information as well.
In addition to the campaign, we have created what we call our Master Latino List. This vetted list comprises all of the individuals and organizations in the State of Nevada that are active and involved with Latino-related issues. Many people from this list have offered total support of this initiative and will be helping us with the distribution of materials. We are happy to share this list.
Please note that the third and final task force meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 24th at 1:00 p.m. Also note that tomorrow, the Legislative Committee on Health Care will be meeting at 9:00 a.m. at the Sawyer Building in Las Vegas and the LCB in Carson City and one of the items on the agenda is the issue of Unlicensed Health Care in Nevada.
Thank you for your interest and involvement with this campaign. Please know that we are still looking for any and all other ways to distribute materials and all comments and suggestions are welcome.
