When Sebastian Salazar was volunteering for Yale-led community health organization the Neighborhood Health Project (NHP), he saw that many members of New Haven’s Hispanic immigrant population were struggling to manage their chronic medical conditions, especially diabetes.
So, Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) student Salazar, MPH ’25 (epidemiology of microbial diseases), took matters into his own hands.
In March, Salazar introduced Casa Segura (“Safe House” in Spanish), a community health initiative led by NHP. This program aims to empower recent immigrants to the United States, many of whom are undocumented and uninsured, by providing them with essential knowledge to manage chronic health conditions, particularly diabetes. After Salazar and his fellow volunteers verified their protocols and solidified their methodology, Casa Segura began its operations in mid-May.
Salazar, now NHP’s volunteer training and standards director, is also getting support from second-year Yale School of Medicine (YSM) student Ryan Sutherland, MPH ’20 (social and behavioral sciences and global health). Together, they are striving to improve the ways that NHP reaches Hispanic communities in New Haven, including recent immigrants from Peru, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, and Honduras, who often struggle with accessing healthcare.
These individuals may or may not have had prior diabetes education or a diagnosis. We promote this project through our weekly clinics and encourage individuals to get screened. We also encourage them to refer family, friends, or personal connections for screening
Sebastian Salazar
Many Hispanic immigrants develop diabetes when they arrive in the United States due to dietary changes and limited access to healthy food options, such as whole foods and products high in nutrition, said Salazar, a native of Peru who came to YSPH after earning a BS bachelor in cellular and molecular biology from the University of New Mexico in 2021. Importantly, he said, diabetes is a preventable and manageable disease.
“It can be controlled and even prevented through exercise, diet, education, and low-cost at-home treatments,” he said. “By focusing on these interventions, we can make a substantial impact on the health and well-being of Hispanic immigrants.”
Thus inspired, Salazar proposed the Casa Segura project, decided the methodology, sought funding, and reached out to other organizations for assistance. He works closely with NHP to help obtain resources for Casa Segura, such as information, space to conduct the project, and references for clinic follow-ups. At the moment, Casa Segura operates during NHP’s Saturday clinics at the Episcopal Church of St. Paul and St. James, screening people with high glucose levels, specifically targeting the Latino communities, but hopes to broaden its reach farther into the New Haven community in the foreseeable future.
“These individuals may or may not have had prior diabetes education or a diagnosis,” Salazar explained. “We promote this project through our weekly clinics and encourage individuals to get screened. We also encourage them to refer family, friends, or personal connections for screening.”
NHP, a free, student-run clinic, offers hypertension and diabetes screening and counseling services for low-income patients in New Haven. The clinic provides blood pressure and blood glucose level checks, health care, and lifestyle counseling. Additionally, NHP organizes free flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics at select times throughout the year, with the support of medical students, public health students, and experienced health practitioners.
Casa Segura, an NHP initiative, focuses on undocumented Latino immigrants and individuals unaware of their diabetic status. According to Salazar, its purpose is to enhance NHP’s mission by tailoring programs to meet the health care needs of the Latino communites. Casa Segura provides monitoring with sugar glucometers, tracks individuals’ progress with diabetes, and assesses their ability to manage the condition, with the aim of reducing the prevalence of this chronic disease in the New Haven area.
The biggest challenge for Casa Segura has been building trust among undocumented immigrants – especially in the current political climate, despite bipartisan cooperation and laws that create safe havens for immigrants.
“Trust-building is essential for us to develop a more effective and efficient project,” Salazar said. “When we try to follow up with these patients, many are concerned about having their information exposed, fearing that immigration authorities might track them and send them back to their country of origin. Despite reminding them of U.S. laws and regulations that protect vital health information, their hesitancy is evident.”
Despite the challenge, NHP’s longstanding legacy of community engagement has allowed Casa Segura to build community trust.
“For us, the best way to assist the New Haven community is through word of mouth,” Salazar said. “Many from our Latin American undocumented population are unaware of the resources available in Connecticut. So spreading the word that we are a safe space where they can receive quality medical care at no cost is crucial.”
Salazar said he will consider Casa Segura a success if it can achieve three goals:
- The initiative continues to be led by Yale students after he has moved on. “This would serve as a way for future Yale public health, nursing, medical, and PA students to give back to the community, gain exposure to patient care, and learn firsthand how to positively impact someone else’s life.”
- If they can gather enough data from participants for meaningful analysis. “This data can then inform policy changes aimed at better supporting undocumented individuals in the New Haven area.”
- While he is striving for widespread participation, “success would be achieved if we can visibly improve someone’s life and their overall health quality, even if it’s just one person.”