Sacramento Conference To Address Latino Access to Health Care
State health care professionals and lawmakers will discuss the "enormous challenges" that the state's Latino population faces in health care access at the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California conference, which begins today in Sacramento, the Contra Costa Times reports. Conference attendees, including Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamente (D), will address uninsurance among Latinos, a shortage of Spanish-speaking medical professionals and other health access issues. More than one-third of California's Latino residents do not have health insurance, although many qualify for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, the Times reports. However, millions of California Latinos cannot enroll in public health programs because they are undocumented immigrants. Coalition President Lia Margolis said, "There is a significant number of health disparities for Latinos [in the state]. They have the burden of these health disparities because of the health care setting." During the three-day conference, participants hope to "fle[x] their creative muscles" to develop "innovative ways to reach the community," the Times reports. Conference attendees also will discuss proposals to encourage more Latinos to enter the medical profession, Margolis said (Chang, Contra Costa Times, 8/21).
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