National Alliance for Hispanic Health Making Special Month-long Effort to Raise Lupus Awareness

The National Alliance for Hispanic Health is making a special effort during the current Lupus Awareness Month to increase awareness of the disease among Hispanics, including creating a Spanish-language fact sheet.

“Very few Hispanics are aware of lupus, even though Hispanic women are among those with a higher prevalence of the disease,” Jane Delgado, the president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, said in a press release. “That is why it is important to raise awareness about lupus in Hispanic/Latino communities, and in particular among women. They need to know what is lupus, what are the signs and symptoms, and that lupus can be better controlled if diagnosed early.”

The alliance is one of the United States’ leading Hispanic healthcare advocacy groups.

In addition to increasing awareness, its month-long campaign will try to connect Hispanics with lupus services in their community. Another focus will be healthcare practitioners. The alliance will try to help those who serve Hispanics learn more about diagnosing and treating lupus.

The organizing is collaborating on the Spanish-language fact sheet with the Lupus Foundation of America. The sheet will explain what lupus is, including its symptoms. One feature will be frequently asked questions, titled “Could you have lupus?/ ¿Podría tener lupus?”

“There are medications and steps that a person can take to control it,” Delgado said. “With these new Spanish-language lupus resources, we want to raise awareness and help close the knowledge gap with regards to lupus among Hispanics. Consumers can also call our toll-free Su Familia helpline at 1-866-783-2645 to get answers to their questions about lupus and receive referrals to health resources in their community.

Tomorrow, May 19, is Put on Purple Day, which is a part of Lupus Awareness Month activities. To participate, wear purple, tell others why, and let them know where to donate to the cause.

You can also share a fact sheet that includes signs and symptoms of lupus, information on the impact of the disease in the United States, and more.

One of the goals of this year’s Put on Purple Day is raising funds to advance lupus research. Another is to build the next generation of lupus researchers through the Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program.

An additional way you can increase awareness is to change your Facebook profile picture to purple. You can also share your lupus story on social media using the #PutOnPurple or #POP hashtags.