A 10-year post-analysis of the Maya Health Toolkit for Medical Providers
Disciplines
Community-Based Research | Inequality and Stratification | Medicine and Health | Migration Studies | Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Many researchers have overlooked Indigenous Health's field within the Americas when discussing health disparities research. In Central and South America live the countless Mesoamerican ethnic groups today. One of the oldest known is the Maya people. The Maya have been through various cultural struggles with the Spanish conquistadors of the past and the current anti-indigenous discrimination, violence, and rhetoric of today. Due to these fears, many Maya has migrated north to the United States for a better opportunity and a peaceful life for their families. In doing so, they face many health risks to their overall physical, mental, and social well-being. In 2010, a Maya Health Tool Kit was created by Dr. Alan Lebaron to help the Maya living in the U.S. better navigate the healthcare system. Our primary purpose is to reexamine our Maya Health Tool Kit. Then, determine what changes and updates are needed to be made to keep this "living" document current. Our methodology will perform comprehensive, open-ended interviews and pinpointed surveys with healthcare providers. These interviews and surveys will showcase the gaps in the Maya Health Tool kit to be filled in and compile the needed recommendations to update the tool kit in the future. The overall conclusion is creating more comprehensive, culturally, and socially relevant recommendations for a future Maya Health Tool Kit.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Evelina Sterling
Additional Faculty
Alan Lebaron, History, alebaron@kennesaw.edu
A 10-year post-analysis of the Maya Health Toolkit for Medical Providers
Many researchers have overlooked Indigenous Health's field within the Americas when discussing health disparities research. In Central and South America live the countless Mesoamerican ethnic groups today. One of the oldest known is the Maya people. The Maya have been through various cultural struggles with the Spanish conquistadors of the past and the current anti-indigenous discrimination, violence, and rhetoric of today. Due to these fears, many Maya has migrated north to the United States for a better opportunity and a peaceful life for their families. In doing so, they face many health risks to their overall physical, mental, and social well-being. In 2010, a Maya Health Tool Kit was created by Dr. Alan Lebaron to help the Maya living in the U.S. better navigate the healthcare system. Our primary purpose is to reexamine our Maya Health Tool Kit. Then, determine what changes and updates are needed to be made to keep this "living" document current. Our methodology will perform comprehensive, open-ended interviews and pinpointed surveys with healthcare providers. These interviews and surveys will showcase the gaps in the Maya Health Tool kit to be filled in and compile the needed recommendations to update the tool kit in the future. The overall conclusion is creating more comprehensive, culturally, and socially relevant recommendations for a future Maya Health Tool Kit.