VTMBH Article: Body
We have a health care crisis in the Latino community, and we are not going to be quiet about it. Politicians and elected officials who do not work to improve the poor health care conditions Latinos face, will not receive our help.
Under this mission, a diverse group of organizations met yesterday in Suite 2925 of the Empire State Building to form the Coalition for the Defense of Latino Health. The same event was used the launch the report Good Intentions Are Not Enough, which documents the disparity between Latinos and other communities in health services.
The report stressed that the Latino community, which makes up 27 percent of the citys and 15 percent of the states populations and has played a significant role in the social and economic development of the New York region, is suffering due to a health care crisis.
According to the report, more than 36 percent of adult Latinos do not have health insurance, with devastating consequeces.
For example, Latinos are at the highest risk for the asthma, Hepatitis C, cervical cancer, AIDS, and other serious illnesses; they are the twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.
The blame lies on the one hand with poor education, and, on the other, with insufficient access to health services, said Dennis DeLeón, president of the Latino Commission on AIDS and member of the new coalition.
We need resources and we need action. Good intentions alone are not going to improve the conditions of health in our communities and for this reason we are launching the report and creating the coalition, added DeLeón.
Moises Pérez, executive director of the Dominican Alliance, said that the coalition would try to push a Latino health agenda.
If we are able to introduce a health agendasomething which has been lostwith the strong support that is here today, and introduce it in the context of our community, I believe that we will advance incredibly in favor of the well-being of our community, explained Pérez.
Pérez also indicated that the health care crisis in the Latino community is reflected in the fact that Latinos have the lowest rates of coverage and access to health services in all of the country.
The community has to wake up and demand its rights, said Pérez.
Among those present were Serafin Mariel, president and CEO of New York National Bank; Elba Montalvo, executive director of the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families; Lorraine Cortés Vázquez, president of the Hispanic Federation; and Gerson Borrero, editor-in-chief of El Diario/La Prensa, who offered the coalition the newspapers health section to initiate an educational campaign in the Latino community.
Under this mission, a diverse group of organizations met yesterday in Suite 2925 of the Empire State Building to form the Coalition for the Defense of Latino Health. The same event was used the launch the report Good Intentions Are Not Enough, which documents the disparity between Latinos and other communities in health services.
The report stressed that the Latino community, which makes up 27 percent of the citys and 15 percent of the states populations and has played a significant role in the social and economic development of the New York region, is suffering due to a health care crisis.
According to the report, more than 36 percent of adult Latinos do not have health insurance, with devastating consequeces.
For example, Latinos are at the highest risk for the asthma, Hepatitis C, cervical cancer, AIDS, and other serious illnesses; they are the twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.
The blame lies on the one hand with poor education, and, on the other, with insufficient access to health services, said Dennis DeLeón, president of the Latino Commission on AIDS and member of the new coalition.
We need resources and we need action. Good intentions alone are not going to improve the conditions of health in our communities and for this reason we are launching the report and creating the coalition, added DeLeón.
Moises Pérez, executive director of the Dominican Alliance, said that the coalition would try to push a Latino health agenda.
If we are able to introduce a health agendasomething which has been lostwith the strong support that is here today, and introduce it in the context of our community, I believe that we will advance incredibly in favor of the well-being of our community, explained Pérez.
Pérez also indicated that the health care crisis in the Latino community is reflected in the fact that Latinos have the lowest rates of coverage and access to health services in all of the country.
The community has to wake up and demand its rights, said Pérez.
Among those present were Serafin Mariel, president and CEO of New York National Bank; Elba Montalvo, executive director of the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families; Lorraine Cortés Vázquez, president of the Hispanic Federation; and Gerson Borrero, editor-in-chief of El Diario/La Prensa, who offered the coalition the newspapers health section to initiate an educational campaign in the Latino community.