Improving access to Alzheimer’s disease services for Latinos

Maria Mora Pinzon
Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, FACPM

Maria Mora Pinzón, MD, MS, FACPM recently gave an interview to Madison365, discussing her work to improve access for Latinos with Alzheimer’s disease and a Twitter account she co-founded, @latinasinmed, that has more than 9,000 followers. Mora Pinzon is a primary care research fellow at UW-Madison Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and a scientist at Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, where her research centers on improving access to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia services within the Latino community.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that by 2060 the number of Latinos age 65 and older is expected to nearly quadruple, and Latinos will face the largest increase in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias cases of any racial/ethnic group in the United States. Learning about the extent of these health disparities was the reason Mora Pinzon decided to focus her work on improving awareness, access and dementia care in the Latino community, she said in the interview.

“My research is about making that connection, improving access to care, but also access includes, how do we get them more in our communities,” she said. “How do we get the services that our community needs? And how can we make sure that when they go to a healthcare system or clinic, an office, they get the resources that they need, in the language that they want on the way that they want it.”

Building community for Latina healthcare providers

Mora Pinzon is a co-founder of @latinasinmedicine, a place for Latina healthcare providers to share stories and resources and build community. You can find Mora Pinzon on Twitter at @MariaCMoraP and @latinasinmedicine and learn more at #latinasinmedicine.