Oral

Studies show that children in immigrant families, and immigrant adults, often have worse health status than other individuals in similar economic circumstances. Often there are barriers to obtaining health insurance coverage. This session will discuss the use of state-wide data to examine changes in health insurance coverage and health status over time for immigrant children in California. We will discuss ways to use the power of community partnerships, including the involvement of university students, to improve health planning for immigrants. We will also discuss the healthcare needs of agricultural workers, focusing on ways to gather information from stakeholders that can be used to establish policy priorities to improve agricultural workers’ health. Regional policy and advocacy strategies will be described. A special focus will be on developing community-based programs for hepatitis B detection, prevention and care. Again, we will emphasize advocacy strategies to inform appropriate policy at all levels of government. Finally, we will discuss special issues affecting Latinos and others residing on the Mexico-California border.

Session Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will better: • Understand the current status of health care access in California for children according to immigration status of the family • Discuss some of the major policy efforts that have been successfully implemented in California that may be contributing to changes in children's access to care • Recognize the need for partnerships in community health planning and policy development • Understand the types of education and information policymakers need in better respond to the health issues of immigrants and agricultural workers • Understand the challenges in developing a comprehensive community-based program for hepatitis B detection, prevention, and care.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing