Dame Tu Mano ~ "Give Me Your Hand"

Elkhart County is a community that continues to change, grow and become more diverse. Intrinsically, diversity brings many challenges and opportunities for an organization. Elkhart General Hospital is responding to these challenges and opportunities system-wide. An innovative effort, that will allow EGH to position itself as a national model for progressive, hospital-based Hispanic/Latino health outreach, is the new “Dame Tu Mano” program in the Community Outreach Department.

Translated, Dame Tu Mano, means “Give Me Your Hand.” Dame Tu Mano represents Elkhart General's long term commitment to help improve the health status of our community.

In our goal to promote prevention and early detection of disease, we are:

• Connecting with customers by responding to needs. To better identify the health care needs of the Hispanic/Latino population, a survey among ~ 175 adults was conducted in 2007.
• A community Resource Guide has been created in Spanish and English where people can find information about local organizations, programs and services.
• A Help line has been established in Spanish, 574-524-7517, where people can call to receive health information and materials, referrals to community resources and information on upcoming events.
• Dame Tu Mano has established key partnerships with community based groups that allow us to provide screenings, education and services at various events.
• Dame Tu Mano uses the radio and El Puente Newspaper to promote healthy lifestyles that will benefit the community as a whole.
• Community Outreach continues to seek bilingual staff to increase accessibility to services and improve customer satisfaction.

The Dame Tu Mano function is altruistic, non-political, and true to the EGH mission statement. Dame Tu Mano exists to empower the Hispanic/Latino community, in keeping with its proud tradition, to take care of itself.

Therefore, Dame Tu Mano will help: “To Make the Hispanic/Latino Net Work.”

• Dame Tu Mano
  Dame Tu Mano representa el compromiso a largo plazo que Elkhart General tiene para ayudar a mejorar el estado de salud de la comunidad. Un esfuerzo innovador que permitirá que EGH se consolide como un modelo nacional de alcance para la comunidad Hispana/Latina con un enfoque hospital-salud es el programa Dame Tu Mano del departamento de Alcance a la Comunidad.