Tuberculosis screening in an at-risk immigrant Hispanic population in Baltimore city: an academic health center/local health department partnership.
Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic and epidemic throughout the world. More people will die of TB this year then in any previous year in modern history. However, in the United States successful TB control programs have resulted in low morbidity and low mortality here. Globalization and immigration threatens this control potentially bringing the infection to a here-to-fore complacent United States. This article describes a unique partnership between a community health program of a School of Nursing and a local health department chest clinic to find, screen and treat a population of Hispanic immigrants otherwise difficult to reach because of legal, language, cultural and socioeconomic barriers. Working through community organizations and limiting, and/or eliminating cultural barriers accomplished a high level of screening and treatment in a population with a significant incidence of latent tuberculosis infection. The program was of great satisfaction to the students and faculty involved; the personnel of a seriously under-financed health department and the community participants involved.
D'Lugoff
Marion Isaacs
MI
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Lillian D. Wald Community Nursing Center, Baltimore, MD, USA. mdlugoff@son.jhmi.edu
Jones
Walt
W
Kub
Joan
J
Glass
Nancy
N
Thompson
Deidre
D
Brinkley-Laughon
Sherilynn
S
Chaisson
Richard E
RE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011635:Public Health Administration; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012579:Schools, Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration