National Hispanic Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative (NHLCC)

The National Hispanic-Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative’s purpose is to pursue and advance Hispanic-Latino cardiovascular health and Hispanic-Latino professional development for the American Heart Association volunteers and for its members. The existing Latinx Committee (Latinx Cardiology Committee) will sunset, and current members will be asked to consider appointment to the National Hispanic-Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative.

The National Hispanic-Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative will be integrated and embedded in the American Heart Association. The Group will provide an opportunity for more Hispanic-Latino professional representation, to empower the next generation of Hispanic-Latino health professionals, provide networking opportunities for its members, mentorship opportunities through AHA’s key health equity work, and become an advisory board for AHA Hispanic-Latino-focused awareness campaigns.

The overarching goal is for the Association to consult with the National Hispanic-Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative members to help complement AHA’s work in the Health Equity space.

The Group is mostly comprised of AHA volunteers who are health and medical professionals and self-identify as Hispanic or Latino, such as, cardiologists, surgeons, primary care physicians, researchers, academics, and leaders from prominent accredited societies. The Group is also composed of volunteers who are passionate about Hispanic-Latino health and AHA’s mission.

The Group will be organizationally positioned within the AHA Office of Health Equity and supported by the AHA Somos Corazón employee resource group (ERG).

At present, approximately 19% of the United States population self-identifies as Hispanic, and that percentage is projected to increase to 29% by the year 2050[1]. As such, the health of the Hispanic population in the U.S. has received increased attention. Especially, as it relates to, the state of chronic diseases, and overall cardiovascular health among the Hispanic population. A scientific study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that approximately 48% of Hispanic adult males, 20 years and older, had prediabetes. Approximately 15% of both Hispanic males and females had a physician diagnose them with diabetes. Based on the same study, approximately 50% of Hispanic adults, 20 years of age and older, had cardiovascular diseases.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges and the United States Office of Minority Health, there is a lack of diversity in health care practitioners today, research suggests that patients of color may experience uncomfortable interactions and communication barriers with their health care providers because of implicit and unconscious bias among physicians and other health care professionals. In fact, less than 7% of physicians are of Hispanic heritage, according to the same study. These barriers, in turn, can lower patients’ trust in the overall health care system and as a result, these patients may not complete prescribed treatments or follow-up on recommended care.

The American Heart Association believes there is an opportunity to engage the Hispanic-Latino segment of the cardiovascular community in research, education, clinical guidance, fellowship, and advocacy-related activities. One of those key pathways is to establish the National Hispanic-Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative.

[1] Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S. Population: 2014 to 2060 (PDF) | (https://www.census.gov/)