Los Angeles clinic offers care for Mayas

Los Angeles Times, April 2, 2008

For eight years, a Los Angeles clinic has reached out to Mayas and sought the trust of a community that has generally been reluctant to seek Western medical treatment. Some of the issues the clinic encounters with Guatemalan patients are commonly dealt with by doctors and nurses in California working with indigenous populations from Mexico and other parts of Latin America. Healthcare providers must realize that patients may come to a hospital or a clinic but are also seeking medical guidance from community elders and taking herbal medicines, experts say.