"The Diamante Award is a wonderful recognition of CELAH’s dedicated staff, whose efforts are fueled by an inspirational passion to serve the population,” said Doug Morgan, MD, MPH, CELAH director.

The UNC Center for Latino Health (CELAH) launched in 2008 in the School of Medicine and Health Care System to provide specialty and primary care for Spanish-speaking patients, to promote clinical research, and to train health care providers to serve this population. Spanish-speaking patients are matched with CELAH staff and bilingual faculty in each specialty on specific days. Bilingual ancillary services such as pharmacy and financial counseling are incorporated, to provide a complete “door-to-door” Spanish environment. High demand specialties have been targeted by CELAH initially, while the Center works closely with Interpreter Services in other specialties.

In addition to providing focused clinical care for Spanish-speaking patients, UNC’s new bilingual specialty clinic infrastructure has also fostered teaching and research opportunities. The Center now provides bilingual rotations, which range from two weeks to a semester, for pharmacy, nursing and medical students, and other trainees, to improve Spanish language and multicultural competency. CELAH is also working to ensure that the Latino population is represented in clinical translational research, because historically, Spanish-speakers have been excluded from many research initiatives due to real or perceived language barriers.

Participating faculty and staff include: Marco Aleman, MD, Sylvia Becker-Dreps, MD, MPH, Ben Calvo, MD, Romulo Colindres, MD, MSPH, Mitch Collman, MD, Luis Diaz, MD, Maria Ferris, MD, Paris Heidt, Aida Lugo-Somolinos, MD, Stephen Kizer, MD, Mayra McCarty, Susan McKenney, APRN, BC, MSN, Doug Morgan, MD, MPH, Cristina Muñoz, MD, Elizabeth Prata, RN, Alfredo Rivadeneira, MD, Daniel Reuland, MD,MPH, Mae Lynn Reyes, PhD, Claudia Rojas, and Zeke Zamora, MD.

The recent Diamante award has given the program well-deserved recognition and also supports CELAH's goal to provide an example for a model of care that can be used by other health systems in regions where there has been a large increase in the Spanish-speaking population over the past decade. “It underscores UNC’s ongoing concern and care for the North Carolina Hispanic-Latino population," said Morgan. "It's a wonderful validation of the programs that UNC has put in place to help the Latino community."

Diamante is dedicated to the preservation, development, and promotion of the culture, heritage, and artistic expressions of the Latino/Hispanic population in North Carolina, and it is the most prominent organization for the recognition of achievements and contributions made to the state's Latino/Hispanic community, as well.

CELAH was presented with the award on Oct. 23 at the Durham Convention Center. In attendance at the ceremony were U.S. Representative David Price, the Mexico General Consul Carlos Flores-Vizcarra, and representatives from the N.C. Senate.