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Who would have thought that by watching telenovelas you could also learn valuable information about preventing HIV/AIDS? Yet Sandra Gracia Jones, PhD, ARNP, a nurse educator at Florida International University, used just that approach when she created the Senoritas program to spread the prevention message among students on FIU's campus (see story in this issue).

Jones knows all too well that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a serious threat to the Hispanic/Latino community. In 2005, HIV/AIDS was the fourth leading cause of death among Hispanic/Latino men and women aged 35 to 44, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

HIV/AIDS is not the only disease that poses a threat to the Hispanic community, which overall has less access to healthcare. According to a CDC study, Hispanics are 14.4% less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have healthcare insurance, contributing to poor health, disability and death.

The answer lies in programs like Senoritas that provide culturally appropriate care to the Hispanic population. Late last year, the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to support the creation of the University of Miami Center of Excellence for Hispanic Health Disparities Research or El Centro. The center will promote research that studies health issues that disproportionately affect Hispanics, such as HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, and family and intimate partner violence. Nilda P. Peragallo, RN, DrPH, FAAN, program director and principal investigator, hopes El Centro will improve the health and lifespan of Hispanics.

A recent March of Dimes grant to Clinica Luz Del Mundo created a bilingual program that will provide education and screening to underserved Hispanics for urinary and reproductive tract infections. The grant will also provide vitamins with folic acid to help prevent birth defects.

Finally, a Florida Hospital East Orlando program called Ciudate, or Spanish for "take care of yourself," shows Central Florida Hispanics how to enrich their lives while dealing with chronic diseases. The program is funded by a grant from the Community Health Impact Council, a subcommittee of the Florida Hospital Board tasked with developing initiatives that improve the health of the Central Florida community.

Although the problem can't be fixed overnight, through programs like Senoritas, El Centro, Ciudate, and others, the healthcare message is being delivered, in a language its recipients can understand.