Members of The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing’s Hispanic Nursing Student Association (HNSA) volunteered at Vestido Rojo, a free Spanish-language event focused on improving the cardiovascular health of Hispanic women in the Austin area, on Sept. 14, 2024. This annual event, hosted by the American Heart Association and presented by Ascension Seton, aims to raise awareness and provide vital health resources to the community.
“The Hispanic Nursing Student Association has been a vital part of Vestido Rojo for many years, assisting with health screenings like blood pressure and teaching the critical, life-saving skill of CPR,” said Kelsey Williams, community impact director at the American Heart Association. “We are so grateful for their continued partnership in reducing barriers to health for the Hispanic community.”
Collaborating for Heart Health
The HNSA has a longstanding partnership with the Vestido Rojo event. Each year, the HNSA is invited to lead Spanish-language CPR demonstrations and offer blood pressure screenings to participants.
For the past two years, the HNSA has also collaborated with Sharon Rush, R.Ph., clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice at the UT Austin College of Pharmacy, along with pharmacy students, to enhance their blood pressure screening efforts.
This event brought together 500 women for a day of wellness and education, featuring health screenings, a health fair, CPR demonstrations, a panel of doctors and health care providers, a mental health presentation, Zumba and a heart-healthy breakfast.
Vestido Rojo is designed to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease among Hispanic women in Austin and aims to combat a critical health issue. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Hispanic women, yet only 1 in 3 are aware of this fact.
Held in conjunction with the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, Vestido Rojo celebrates the energy, passion and power of women uniting to eliminate heart disease and stroke.
Promoting Awareness
UT Austin School of Nursing BSN student Arely Rivas said the blood pressure screenings are a crucial component of the event because many participants who come are not aware of their blood pressure levels.
“We have been able to screen many women who have higher than expected levels and even some that fall within the ranges of hypertension stage 1,” Rivas said. “Not only do we get to help them in their awareness of their health status, but we also have a list of clinics they can connect with for follow-up care, especially for those who don’t have a primary care provider or insurance.”
“Collaboration with the American Heart Association’s Vestido Rojo is indispensable,” said Janice Hernandez, DNP, RN, FNP-C, clinical associate professor at the UT Austin School of Nursing and academic co-sponsor of the HNSA.
The HNSA continues collaboration to enhance culturally appropriate health education, strengthen community connections and aid in reducing health disparities for Latinxs in Austin. HNSA’s involvement and contributions to Vestido Rojo over the years have established trust within the community and ultimately lead to better heart health outcomes for Latinxs in Austin.
The mission of the HNSA is to empower nursing students with the resources they need to succeed academically and to cultivate the next generation of leaders within the Hispanic community.
“Hispanic and Latinx communities often face significant barriers to health care, including lack of access, language barriers and cultural misunderstandings,” Rivas said. “By participating in events like Vestido Rojo, HNSA is directly helping to bridge these gaps by bringing culturally sensitive health education and services directly to the community.”
She said many of the participants served do not have access to primary care and, for some, the Vestido Rojo health fair is the only access to health care they have.
“Many participants expressed how happy it made them to see young Hispanic individuals succeeding and coming back to serve their community,” she continued.
“Volunteering with Vestido Rojo has helped us see that representation truly does matter. Many participants felt comfortable voicing their questions and getting screened solely because we shared the same language and culture. Events like this allow us to meet people in our community where they are, and it allows us to bring health care to them when they can’t come to us.”