Growing Access To Insurance For Latinos Leads To Need For Health Literacy
Increasing health literacy for Latinos was the focus of a recent University of Arizona roundtable. The Pima County Health Department met with academics and community members to discuss how to better inform Latinos about health care.
The second insurance enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act ended last month, and Montserrat Caballero of the county’s health department said this is the first time many Latinos have had health care coverage and it raises many questions for people.
She said one of the key conclusions from the roundtable is to focus on strengths, not deficits, within the Latino community.
"The family, and not just the immediate family, but a very large extended family that could be a really good support network," she said.
Caballero said intergenerational relationships are an advantage, such as having tech savvy teens help grandparents navigate resources online. She said the two primary challenges are reducing poverty and increasing education. A report of the roundtable’s findings will be published.
