Summary of Promising Programs to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

researched and compiled by Eric Jacobson, Sarah McCloskey, Erin Kennedy, and Michele Sloan
originally published in 2004

Other Sources | Health Conditions | System-wide Inerventions | Specific Ethnic Groups

Hispanics

last updated November 29, 2007

Background

African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaskan Natives make up almost one third of the U.S. population. Within these racial and ethnic groups, about half of each respective population could be considered poor or near poor. When looking at healthcare data, it is a common trend that members of ethnic and minority groups have, in general, higher rates of disease and lower rates of seeking care. Furthermore, higher percentages of these groups are on Medicaid or without insurance. Demographically, minority groups impacted by healthcare disparities are concentrated in several locations, mainly in the southwest, but in other states as well.* Because of the importance of cultural competence and community building in order to eliminate disparities, many programs and organizations have emerged that target eliminating disparities for specific racial and ethnic groups.

* “Key Facts: Race, Ethnicity, and Medical Care”. Kaiser Family Foundation. January 2007.
www.kff.org/minorityhealth/upload/6069-02.pdf

Celebra la Vida Con Salud – This is a health-education campaign that partners with the HHS Closing the Gap program. The main goals of this initiative are to promote healthy lifestyles and disease prevention, encourage Latinos to take charge of their own health, and celebrate the benefits of good health within families and communities. This is done through educating the Hispanic community by holding health fairs in cities in the U.S. with large Hispanic populations and through the healthcare information available in Spanish and in English on the website. In addition, Celebra has created a campaign on Spanish radio stations in cities with large Hispanic populations, such as Miami and New York. www.celebralavida.com

Latino Commission on AIDS – This is a national and regional nonprofit membership organization dedicated to improving and expanding health promotion, research, treatment, and other services to the Latino community. By utilizing partner organizations, this organization seeks to improve care, health promotion, awareness, education, and advocacy to the Latino population. Services include HIV counseling as well as sponsoring bilingual programs, creating community networks, and promoting faith-based programs. In addition, this commission holds several conferences aimed at addressing the AIDS problem in the Hispanic population in a culturally sensitive manner. www.latinoaids.org

Hablamos Juntos (Let’s Talk Together) – This national program strives to improve access to quality health care for Latinos with limited English proficiency. It focuses on improving the availability and quality of interpreter and language services, allowing people to communicate orally. Another aspect is the promotion of multi-lingual medical-facility signage. This is also an excellent example of a program that develops cultural competency in health care. www.hablamosjuntos.org

La Clínica de la Raza – Today, La Clínica de la Raza is the largest community health center in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving more than 40,000 patients at 23 sites, located in generally underserved minority communities. La Clínica does this by providing culturally and linguistically compatible service to minorities in areas such as primary care, dental care, pediatric care, eye care, and mental health care. In addition, it focuses on community education and recruits members of underserved communities to become “Promotores” and conduct health education in the community. While these clinics are not restricted to Hispanic patients, many programs are geared toward the Latino population. www.laclinica.org

For more information, e-mail Eric Jacobson or call him at 302-831-1711.

photo on this page courtesy of the Administration on Aging