Sensitive and safe community medicine

For too long, our communities and elected officials have accepted without question the fact that many Latinas depend on home remedies to address their medical needs, be it because they are uninsured or simply unfamiliar with the U.S. health care system.

The recent case of Yaribely Almonte, a 20-year-old who took a Ruda infusion to end her 24-week pregnancy, put the focus back on the issue. Like Almonte, many women go to neighborhood botanicas to resolve their concerns. Although in many cases the recommendations could be harmless, in others they could be fatal.

A recent El Diario investigation showed that salespersons, although possibly well-meaning, don’t hesitate to offer solutions to buyers’ medical issues, no matter their age or physical condition.

Some Hispanic elected officials-interviewed after Almonte’s unfortunate case about the lack of oversight over botanicas-said they were unfamiliar with the issue or knew about it but didn’t think it was a problem, since it’s such a deep-rooted custom.

Of course, Latinas and botanicas have a close, complex relationship. Which is why it is important for Latino elected officials, who have the cultural sensitivity to understand the role these stores play in our communities, to propose programs to educate botanicas on how to react to customers with potentially risky health problems.

The community health specialist model has proven effective in parts of the U.S. and Latin America. Such specialists could advise botanicas and community groups on what to do when dealing with people who have medical issues-some obvious like pregnant teenagers and others not so apparent, like people suffering ailments that could be signs of more serious problems. They can advice on safe recommendations and provide a referral list to local health organizations.

This solution could prevent unfortunate cases like Almonte’s. It’s not a matter of regulating botanicas, but of working jointly with them to benefit the health of many women who see in these stores the best and perhaps only resources for their medical problems. Our elected officials should take notice and include the issue in their agendas for this year.