SANTA ANA: Business Partnerships Vital to Improve Health Care

      America Bracho, director of Latino Health Access, urged 100 representatives from the Santa Ana business community to "partner with community organizations to improve medical care for residents," the Orange County Register reports. Bracho's speech, "The Bottom Line: Merging Health and Business in Santa Ana," followed the recent c losing of two Free Health Plan clinics, leaving a critical shortage of care for the uninsured, and emphasized "the bottom- line benefit of a healthy labor force." Bracho encouraged businesses to donate funds to organizations or health plans serving Santa Ana's low-income residents, serve on organizations' boards or ensure their employees have good health coverage. Involvement in Healthy Cities, an initiative started by the World Health Organization, is also an option, as it targets improving Santa Ana's social problems with the help of "community groups, public health agencies and businesses." A 1997 Latino Health Access survey of 2,134 residents revealed that 50% lacked health care and a mere 38% of children had proper immunizations. Bracho noted, "In order to do effective work, that work can't be done just by the community. We want to see the business sector, family, youth, working together" (Sanchez, 7/10).