Orange County Register Profiles Head of New Hispanic Outreach Campaign at PacifiCare Health Systems

The Orange County Register today profiles Russell Bennett, the head of a new PacifiCare Health Systems campaign to increase health access and service in the Hispanic community. In the past, Bennett has provided international and multicultural services for the Sharp HealthCare system in San Diego and helped establish the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission. In an interview with the Register, Bennett said that PacifiCare plans to make a "companywide commitment" to serve the Hispanic community. He said, "Various areas within the company are already serving the Latino community. ... A lot of our material in Spanish is quite culturally competent. I will bring it all together in a coordinated effort." He added, "We want to increase and improve services to our Latino members." Many Hispanics do not have health insurance, and many who do have coverage do not access health care services "because they're not comfortable talking to a doctor or don't know how to access the health care system," Bennett said (Norman, Orange County Register, 9/6).