The Digital Divide is a Care Divide: Inside the Fight for Latino Health Equity

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges and solutions for achieving health equity for Latino communities in a digital-first healthcare environment.

In a digital-first healthcare world, who gets left behind? The answer is often the same communities that have always been marginalized. But what if the solution wasn't just to build better apps, but to empower the very people from these communities to become the navigators, the mentors, and the doctors of tomorrow? In this inspiring and urgent episode of HIT Like a Girl, recorded at HLTH 2025, Joy Rios sits down with Dr. Jhaimy Fernandez and Dr. Yimdriuska (Gigi) Magan, the powerhouse founders of the nonprofit Alma First. They pull back the curtain on the silent crises in healthcare: the dangerous gap for Spanish-speaking patients, the systemic barriers for Latino students, and the chilling reality for patients facing immigration threats. This isn't just a conversation about mentorship; it's a blueprint for building a more equitable and culturally competent, and safe healthcare system from the ground up. Drs. Fernandez and Magan reveal: When the Clinic is No Longer a Sanctuary: The emergency protocols they've enacted to protect patients during ICE raids. The Digital Divide is a Care Divide: Why translating an app isn't enough and the critical need for "digital navigators."…

People in this episode

Host: Joy Rios

Guests: Dr Jhaimy Fernandez, Dr Yimdriuska Magan

Topics covered

• health equity
• Latino health
• digital health
• mentorship
• telehealth

Keywords

• digital navigators
• ICE raids
• healthcare barriers
• Alma First
• cultural competence

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Alma First

Books & works: HIT Like a Girl

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