IMPROVING DIABETES CARE FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN WASHINGTON, DC
La Clínica del Pueblo aims to achieve better health outcomes for low-income, Latino immigrants by providing access to high-quality diabetes care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate.
The program provides care coordination tailored to the needs of the patient population and care teams include CHWs who are equipped to provide culturally relevant services. The program educates patients about managing their diabetes and facilitates provider-patient communication using digital technology. La Clínica del Pueblo collaborates with community organizations that offer access to healthy food and green spaces for physical activity. The organization also partners with legal service providers to address immigration-related legal needs of Latinos with diabetes.
Transform LCDP’s service delivery system to provide tailored, team-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate care to Latinos living with diabetes.
- Tailor diabetes care for Latinos to their appropriate levels of need through the integration of risk stratification into La Clinica’s diabetes program
- Enhance medical care coordination and reduce psychosocial barriers to care for diabetes patients through enrollment of Latinos with diabetes in high-risk care management and care coordination
Develop interventions that strengthen skills and capacity of health care sector to provide high quality diabetes care and self-management support to Latinos living with diabetes.
- Strengthen culturally and linguistically appropriate team-based care through integration of Community Health Workers (CHWs) into care teams
- Improve self-management of type 2 diabetes for Latino patients through evidence-based group interventions led by trained community health workers
- Increase patient engagement in their own care and facilitate provider-patient communication through text messaging app-based technology introduced by community health workers trained as “digital navigators”
- Strengthen medical care team skills and knowledge for type 2 diabetes and comorbidities care through medical team training overseen by a diabetes specialist and introduction of regular diabetes case review meetings
Collaborate across sectors to develop interventions that impact the medical and social determinants of health for Latinos living with diabetes.
- Build on existing relationships with third-party payers to improve the population health of Latinos residing in DC through enhanced diabetes self-management program
- Formalize partnership with local hospital and specialty care provider to expand diabetes self-management support for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Latinos in Prince George’s County
- Increase access to healthy foods for Latinos with diabetes through partnerships with local farmers’ markets
- Increase access to fitness activities for Latinos with diabetes through partnerships with local parks and recreations
- Address social determinants of health related to legal needs of Latinos with diabetes through the establishment of medical-legal partnerships with local immigration legal service providers
Ricardo Fernandez, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Ricardo F. Fernández, MD serves as Chief Medical Officer and is a practicing physician at La Clínica del Pueblo, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Washington, DC. Dr. Fernández has spent the majority of his professional career working with the Latino and with other medically underserved communities and is a firm believer that high quality clinical outcomes can be attained despite the many barriers faced by these populations.
Dr. Fernández received his M.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin and completed a residency in internal medicine and primary care at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC.
Dr. Fernandez’s professional experience includes working in private practice as well as community health center and academic settings. He holds faculty appointments from George Washington University and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and is actively involved in the training of medical students to practice in underserved communities.
Contact Ricardo Fernandez
