By Sylvia Moreno
The Washington Post

Emilia Uriarte and Mariluz Garcia are just the types of patients that Elmer Huerta loves to see. The first hasn't been to a doctor in 10 years; the second has been a faithful patient of the cancer prevention specialist for the past seven.

With Uriarte, he patiently explains in Spanish the value of a yearly Pap test as an early detection tool for cervical cancer and the importance of an annual mammogram and monthly breast self-exam—especially now that she is 40.

Garcia, meanwhile, can recite Huerta's advice by heart: The most important visit to the doctor is the one when you are well.

"I'm not sick. I just want to do prevention because you never know," says Garcia, 49.

Uriarte, of Frederick, Md., and Garcia, of Rockville, Md., are patients of the Cancer Preventorium, a one-of-a-kind clinic that is part of the cancer institute at Washington Hospital Center. It is aimed at drawing in low-income Latinas, not for treatment but for prevention.

READ MORE: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-latina-health-wn-0702jul02,0,583159.story

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