Findings of a community health needs assessment (CHNA) with a Latino population living in the Oxnard Plain, California

Oxnard, California was ranked 9^th by the 2010 US Census for having the highest percentage of documented Latino residents in the US, not including undocumented immigrants residing within the ‘Oxnard Plain.’ Only anecdotal evidence was available regarding the poor health status, limited access to healthcare, and disease risk factors for these immigrants.  Given the ACA requirements for community health needs assessments (CHNA), Dignity Health, St. John's Hospitals conducted a Latino CHNA consisting of 486 bilingual health behavior surveys completed by Latino residents.   Numerous significant findings associated with educational attainment and health inequities were documented within this needs assessment.  The majority of survey participants had low levels of education with almost 40% having not completed elementary school.  Those with less education did not have health insurance, and 38% reported they needed healthcare in the last year but did not access care due to costs.  Almost 20% of the study sample reported having been told they have diabetes; however, this percentage was closer to 30% for those with an elementary school education or less.  Regarding dental services, over 25% reported having not seen a dentist in two or more years. The needs assessment findings clearly indicate chronic disease inequities.  The authors discuss community-based, collaborative efforts that are underway to address healthcare access for this population, including strategies to improve access to medical and dental care. While country moves towards affordable health insurance for all, questions remain about how undocumented immigrants will be able to obtain the basic human right of health care.