Dr. Vanessa al Rashida Promotes Wellness Within Community

by Shannon Yvonne Moreau

When New Mexico Black Leadership Council collaborated with Core-Visual to produce mini-documentary “The State of Black Health in New Mexico,” Dr. Vanessa al Rashida, MD, MPH participated as one of the featured physicians. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, al Rashida attended medical school in Kansas City. When it came time to do her residency, a fruitful interview with the University of New Mexico and their Department of Internal Medicine convinced her to make the move to the high desert. Since 2015, al Rashida has called New Mexico home and she now practices primary care at Optum in Rio Rancho.

The documentary “The State of Black Health in New Mexico” is dedicated to physicians and providers who have been at the forefront of community doctoring. For al Rashida, the philosophy of giving back to the community, which was instilled in her since childhood, is something she wanted to continue here in New Mexico.

Al Rashida organized her first health fair here at the 2023 Juneteenth celebration in Albuquerque. She’d noticed trepidation toward the medical field among her African American patients, especially during the pandemic, when some folks shared with her that they weren’t getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I understand, especially given our collective history of not just vaccines, but other tests that [Black people] were not educated on or that were forced onto us. It's important to have those real conversations and come to a shared decision,” said al Rashida.

She figured the Juneteenth event would be an opportune time to reach the community with solid and approachable information and resources. UNM, Presbyterian, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the New Mexico Department of Health participated, providing blood pressure screenings and blood sugar and cholesterol testing. Her second event, held at Saint Timothy's Lutheran Church, focused on immigrant and refugee populations.

Three more health fairs are planned in 2024 and al Rashida sees them as a way to get trustworthy information to those who need it most. “I can give some general counseling and direct people to the care that they need, especially if they are in lack of access or having trouble getting access,” she notes.

An ongoing shortage of primary care physicians (PCPs) in the state is one of the reasons for that lack of access. In fact, al Rashida considered specializing in cardiology but changed her mind when she saw the huge PCP shortage in New Mexico. Not only are PCPs the main entry point to accessing health care, but they also play a critical role in preventing serious health conditions down the road.

“I don't see the point in going into cardiology if the problems could be addressed before the disease is present,” said al Rashida.

Health fairs help close wellness gaps by serving as check-ins while also providing free services such as childhood vaccines and health screenings. “Are you going on a good path with what you're seeing, numbers-wise, or is this something for which we need to start looking into some other resources?” asks al Rashida.

Start down a path to wellness at one of these upcoming health fairs:

Juneteenth Freedom Day on Saturday, June 22, 10am-2pm at Haynes Community Center and Park, 2006 Grande Blvd SE in Rio Rancho

Scare Yourself to Health on Saturday, October 26th, 11am-3pm at St. Timothy's Lutheran Church, 211 Jefferson St NE

Watch the original documentary “The State of Black Health in New Mexico,” produced by Cathryn McGill and New Mexico Black Leadership Council, created in collaboration with Core-Visual, and featuring interviews with Vanessa al Rashida, MD, MPH; Duane Ross, MD; Lauri Andress, J.D., Ph.D., MPH; Jamal Martin Ph.D., MPH; and Stephanie Garcia MD below.