Oral

Hurricane Katrina affected the Gulf coast region of the United States and years after that disaster the impact continues to be felt. It is imperative to note that disasters differentially affect individuals based on their socio-economic status among other things. In the case of immigrants, the impacts may be harsher. In this session there will be a presentation describing how Hurricane Katrina has reduced access to health services for immigrant groups in Gulf Coast region of Mississippi. The session will also throw light on suggestions as to how to formulate possible health system reforms that would improve immigrant health. It will also delve into the relevant factors surrounding Latinos’ immigration and the related issues impacting their ability to take-up and purchase health insurance coverage in the US. Papers will also evaluate the factors which contribute to the probability that working Latinos in California are covered by employer-sponsored, government-sponsored, self-purchased or remain uninsured. Finally, what are the relevant factors surrounding Latinos’ immigration status and the related issues impacting their ability to take-up and purchase health insurance coverage. This is an important policy issue to investigate in understanding the disparity in health insurance coverage among the Latinos in the US. All the above issues will be covered in the presentations in this session.

Session Objectives: 1.Identify geographic variability of immigrant growth in the US from 1990 to 2000 and 2006. 2. Describe policy indicators of immigrant integration at the local level. 3. Explain why Immigrant Latino laborers in the US are at the greatest risk of not possessing any form health insurance coverage, public, private or self-purchased. 4. Describe the impact of U.S. immigration policy on immigrant individuals in a family and community context. 5. Identify 5 characteristics of mixed status immigrant families and barriers to their use of health care and community resources.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)