All About the Family!
Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! Welcomes Beverly Zavaleta, MD
The desire to be closer to family is what influenced Dr. Beverly Zavaleta, her husband and their two children to relocate to Brownsville from San Antonio. She and her husband, a Brownsville native, appreciate the value this community places on family ties.
"I really love Brownsville -everyone has been so welcoming and understands why we want our kids to grow up close to their primos, tíos and abuelos!" Zavaleta said.
In fact, this cultural emphasis on family is a perfect fit for Dr. Zavaleta and her newly established Family Medicine practice.
"I chose to become a Family Physician because it allows me to treat the entire family," Zavaleta said. "After all, when a patient comes into my office, he or she is usually not an isolated individual, but part of a family unit. As a physician, it is important that I take into account the influences and context of my patients. That is what is so unique about the specialty of Family Medicine - the mother, the father, the child and the grandfather can all be served by one physician.
"I feel that I can have a greater influence because when I reach more than one member of the family, it multiplies the effect. It is also more efficient because, for example, I can provide a medical home for the breastfeeding mother, the newborn baby and the grandmother, who can schedule their appointments at the same time. I feel that my reach is greater and I never get bored!"
Reaching more people with healthy messages is why Dr. Zavaleta has joined forces with the "Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta!" campaign, sponsored by the University of Texas, School of Public Health. The Herald will feature Dr. Zavaleta as the Medical Correspondent for the weekly guest column entitled "Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! (Your Health Matters!)."
"Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta!" is part of a larger media campaign featuring role models and experts on radio, television and in print. The messages of the campaign inspire community members to make healthy food choices and increase their physical activity - key health changes to prevent diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
"Getting people to make these changes can be less costly and more powerful than any drug intervention," Zavaleta said. "There is a crisis of obesity and diabetes in our community and it can be addressed if people can attain the confidence to make their health a priority. I know I can have an impact on my patients, but I want to extend my reach and this weekly column will allow me to do that."
Dr. Zavaleta has enjoyed getting to know Brownsville. "I think it is a great place! I love the Dean Porter Park complex, the Zoo, and the friendly people! But my favorite hang-out is the Farmers' Market! I take my boys (aged 3 and 4 years old) there almost every weekend. They love to look at the fruits and vegetables. They ask questions, and I even got my 4 year old to try radishes, because he had a conversation with the farmer who grew them," she said.
Dr. Zavaleta has journeyed a long way to end up here in the Valley. "I have had the privilege of studying and practicing medicine in Michigan, Boston and San Antonio. But now I am at home in Brownsville, surrounded by my family."
Dr. Zavaleta's column "Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta!" will appear weekly in the Sunday edition of the Herald.
