The stats are not good. Thirty-two percent of Latinos, who are mainly Spanish speaking, lack a primary care provider. Also, Latinos have the highest uninsured rates of any racial or ethnic group within the United States.
These alarming trends have been in your sights as well. You’ve acknowledged that underserved communities are confronted with a complexity of issues that impact public health, ranging from the opioid epidemic and gun violence to environmental issues, such as clean water and air. You’ve described a community health crisis in our rural neighborhoods where the network of emergency services, mental health and addiction support, and skilled healthcare workers has been further weakened by the pandemic.
In 2018, Latino Connection debuted a first-of-its-kind Latino Health Summit to bring the most pressing health issues in the Latino community to the forefront of conversation and collaboration. We partnered with influential thought leaders, private- and public-sector organizations, and members of the Latino community.
Why was Reading selected as this year’s host city? In Berks County, 1 in 4 residents are Latino. The percentage of adults in Berks County who report their health as fair or poor is trending in the wrong direction. In Reading, 18% of Latinos do not have health insurance, a rate that’s nearly 8% higher than the Berks County average.
As you prepare to announce your first budget and plans to invest in our state’s most urgent policy priorities, we hope you will continue to take a holistic approach to the state’s public health crisis. What may be a focus on minority health today will set the stage for majority health tomorrow.If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
Well...when a million Illegal diseased invaders overwhelm the systems in place...what do you think the results would be...