April 4, 2018 – Lancaster, PA
“It’s about time!” This was my reaction when I heard that there was going to be the first Pennsylvania Latino Health Summit held in Lancaster, PA. As a public health professional and a Latina, I knew I had to be part of this ground-breaking event, which was hosted in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latinos Affairs.
The Latino population is considered the fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the United States. Based on U.S. Census Bureau estimations, 31% of the U.S. population is expected to be Latino by the year of 2050. In Pennsylvania, there are nearly 1 million Latinos, and with the recent exodus of the Puerto Rican people after Hurricane Maria, this number is on the rise. However, despite these statistics, the Latino population is still highly medically underserved. Therefore, it is necessary to address and eliminate the challenges and barriers that Latinos face in the public health sector, particularly in the state of Pennsylvania. What better way to do this, than by bringing people together, from all areas of healthcare, who want to make a positive impact on the overall health of the Latino community.
The day-long Summit brought together over 300 individuals, which included patients, community health workers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and community-based and statewide organizations. The theme of the event was Collaborating for a Healthy Latino Community and it had three main objectives:
- To assess and identify the key health issues affecting Latinos
- To address ways to bridge the gap between professionals and the Latino community
- To identify key relationships and partnerships between healthcare professionals in the community
The Summit kicked off with the topic of “cultural humility.” As the U.S. becomes increasingly more diverse and multicultural, it is important that healthcare professionals, which includes patient navigators, community health workers and promotoras, engage in self-reflection and self-evaluation of their own values and beliefs in order to increase understanding of others. It is vital to include cultural humility when training healthcare professionals, so they can explore and appreciate the socio-cultural differences of patients. Once these differences are well understood and appreciated by health systems and healthcare professionals, the result will be higher patient satisfaction, increased adherence to treatment, and improved health outcomes.
Other key topics discussed during the Summit included:
- The first Pennsylvania Latino Cancer Burden Report
- The integration of behavioral health services into primary care facilities
- Cultural competency
- The application of Global Health principles to the work conducted in the U.S.
- The response of agencies and organizations involved in Community HealthChoices to the opioid crisis
Attending this Summit helped me to better appreciate all the great work that public health professionals are doing to address the health needs of Latinos. After seeing the firm commitment of the attendees, I have hope that someday we will be able to break down the boundaries that Pennsylvania Latinos face in receiving high quality health care services.
Looking forward to next year’s Summit!