Providing Essential Health Care Solutions for Multicultural Communities

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By Momo Olugobde

North Hollywood, CA — ConsejoSano is a healthcare company bridging the gap between information and access for multicultural people navigating the complex health care system in the United States. The Spanish ‘ConsejoSano’ translates to “healthy advice.” This aptly named company provides exactly that. Founder and CEO Abner Mason created ConsejoSano because he recognized a need to support and engage diverse patients as they navigate the healthcare system.

“I was working in Mexico for some time when my partners and I founded The Workplace Wellness Council of Mexico – a consulting firm that helps companies improve employee health. I did that for five years and learned about telehealth and other digital tools that were becoming popular [in Mexico]. There are 60 million Spanish speakers in the US, about 40 million speak only Spanish or need medical advice in Spanish, the health system wasn’t being responsive to these people, so I founded ConsejoSano.”

Mason, an alumnus of Harvard University, started his career as an Associate Consultant at Bay & Company a consulting firm in Boston, MA. Years later, he pivoted towards politics where he learned to work in health care policy. However, it was Mason’s volunteer work on former President George W. Bush’s Advisory Council providing antiretrovirals to people with HIV/AIDS that fueled his passion for health care and health care advisory.

ConsejoSano provides access to life-saving health care for people who are low-income, qualify for Medicaid, and/or speak English as a second language. These realities can make an already complex system more difficult to navigate. Mason’s company facilitates health care access for its clients by connecting them to the resources they may otherwise not have access to.

“ConsejoSano operates on a simple and effective business strategy: (1) We help make the case for the importance and protection of Medicaid, the largest health plan in the country. And (2) We educate Medicaid providers on methods increased efficiency to reach their goals and meet the standards set by the federal government. [Providers] must recognize that the populations they serve are different. In order to value every patient and member, providers must understand who they are and meet them where they are,” Mason said.

ConsejoSano is thriving under Mason’s leadership and helps millions of underserved Americans get the proper medical care they need.

When asked what it means to be a man of Color in 2018 Mason responded, “The opportunities are more endless than ever before. This is an incredible time to make your mark in business.”

For those who chose to strike out on their own, Mason offers these words of advice:

“Find people who you respect and have confidence in, not a yes-man; find someone who you will listen to because advice is important; and whatever amount of money you think you need to start a business, you’re gonna need more.”