Panel Discussion

Latinos are the largest immigrant minority group in the US. The majority of Latino immigrants arrive in the US at the prime of their life, eager to work. They are vital to construction, service, agricultural and food production economies across the nation, yet they are the least likely to have health insurance coverage. As the nation’s largest state, and with the country’s largest proportion of Latinos, California offers a model that predicts many of the health status dilemmas immigrants face and that are soon to be seen in other states. This session will examine Latino health status trends using a variety of state databases, challenges related to access and quality of care, and discuss some program failures and successes that have been implemented in California to address these health concerns. Implications for the future health needs and responsibilities for the health of this growing transnational population will be examined. State and local regulations governing health care for immigrants and perspective on federal law affecting rights of immigrants will also be discussed. Information and perspective from state public health data sources, experts in targeted clinical programs, health policy experts and civil rights experts will form the basis of this dynamic conversation.

Session Objectives: Participants will understand the demographic challenges inherent in the Latino immigrant population and will be able to discuss the impact of lifetime poor access to care in an otherwise healthy population. Participants will also be able to discuss environmental and occupational health risks to health and their impact on chronic disease risk in this population.