Uniendo Corazones: Promoting Heart Health Equity in Latinx ImmigrantCommunities in Oakland County

It’s consuming to think about this health equity thing and why it takes a “challenge” to help overcome a tiny fraction of the impacts racism has had in this country. Our names are Wolfgang Bahr and Irving Suarez, both graduate students at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. While we find ourselves in the same city, fighting the same battle, our paths to this place vary greatly.

Wolfgang Bahr

My journey in health equity started in a Michigan community health center, where I saw firsthand the struggles of the Latinx community. Inspired by my upbringing and motivated by their resilience, I pursued a dual master's in social work and public health, deepening my commitment to Latinx health equity.

Growing up in Santiago, Dominican Republic, I learned firsthand the power of community and cooperation. It was a place where the community's well-being always took precedence, where we stood together through thick and thin. Those lessons stayed with me as I made my way to Michigan, where resilience became more than just a word; it became a way of life. In my role within community health, I was continually inspired by the determination of the Latinx community to overcome daily challenges within the healthcare and immigration systems.

In my role, I engaged directly with Latinx patients, focusing on improving healthcare access through motivational engagement, health education, and risk assessment. A central aspect of my role involved conducting social determinants of health screenings to identify barriers to care and bridging those gaps by linking patients with community resources. By motivating patients to actively participate in primary care, focusing on preventive measures, and managing chronic conditions, I helped reduce emergency department overuse and increase patient re-engagement post-COVID. This hands-on experience showed me the importance of addressing systemic barriers to healthcare access. It has fueled my commitment to Latinx health equity through advocacy and systemic change.

Looking forward, my mission is clear: to be a voice for change within healthcare and social services, tirelessly advocating for equitable health outcomes for the Latinx community. I can tear down barriers and pave the way for a healthier future through collaboration and advocacy.

Irving Suarez

I grew up watching my parents persevere through several lifetime worth of challenges. My father immigrated to the United States in 1999 and has seen a doctor about six times since then. But this was not for lack of trying. Often healthcare settings did not offer translational language services, and staff would become frustrated with my father. Recognizing he wasn’t welcomed in these spaces, he decided American healthcare wasn’t meant for someone like him.

This feeling of not being welcomed was present in many of the Latinx stories that were shared with me throughout my life. Many included the mentality that this was just how things were meant to be. For a long time, I felt this way too.

But things changed during my last semester of undergrad when I took an Intro to Public Health class. I learned that many issues were based on systemic racism, but could be addressed by centering health equity when developing preventative health interventions. Fast forward a few years later, and I am now in a Master’s in Public Health program learning how to mitigate health disparities by translating research into interventions.

Not wanting to wait until graduation, I saw the Michigan Health Equity challenge as an opportunity to begin this work. My goal for this project is to address stress-induced heart disease within the Latinx immigrant population

We share similar missions rooted in our cultures and the injustices we have seen. Our personal experiences serve as anchors in driving our professional aspirations for Latinx health equity and a healthier world. We appreciate the opportunity Michigan Health Equity has granted us to apply our public health skills to further our missions.