Experiences of Latinas with the Canadian health care system: A qualitative study

Migration from Latin America towards the north does not always end at the 49th parallel. There is a small but rapidly- growing population of Latinos in Canada, especially in the larger urban centres, such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. In this most northern country, our communities face some of the same challenges as Latinos in the United States : discrimination, social and economic marginalization, barriers to full participation and to accessing services; but we also face unique challenges that arise from the particular realities of Canadian society and the Canadian health care systems, as well as from the great diversity of our Latino population and the relatively recent and different migration and settlement history In this presentation, we draw on some of our experiences working within a participatory health research and action project “Mujer Sana, Comunidad Sana” (MSCS) project, which sought to build capacity among the Latino community in a large Canadian city. We will present our analysis of in-depth interviews with 30 Latino community women, conducted in Spanish between 2001 and 2003. We will explore two issues: 1) the women's congruent or discrepant expectations between Canada's health care system and those of their country of origin; 2) the barriers and discrimination that the women face in accessing health services, despite Canada's attempts at universality and accessibility. This presentation will contribute to understanding the realities of the Latin American 'Diaspora' focusing on the experiences of Latin American women in Canada: those who try to access health and social services; the social activists who work to assist them to overcome barriers; the health researchers who document these realities; and the efforts of communities to change policies and build healthier communities.