For Immediate Release
July 8, 2008
Congressional Leaders, Public Health Officials, Local Advocates to Explore Minority Health Disparities
HOUSTON - Local Minority Health Coalitions will join members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) in Houston on July 19th (8:00am - 3:30pm) at the Houston Community College Conference Center, 3100 Main Street. They will meet with public health officials and local community health experts and advocates to discuss health disparities among communities of color, and to learn from regional and local experiences that can inform national health policies and programs.
Houston was chosen to host the Tri-Caucus Health Summit because Texas has become a minority majority state - communities of color now constitute 52 percent of the state's population. Houston's communities of color make up more than 70 percent of its population and it is among the top ten U.S. cities with the highest and most diverse Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations. The city is also more than 25 percent African American and more than 40 percent Hispanic and Latino.
"In Houston, our communities of color now make up the majority of our city's population, yet we are still plagued by widespread health disparities that affect us all," said Veronica Brown, RD, board member of the African American Health Coalition (AfAHC). "The members of the AfAHC are working to improve the health and well-being of the community by promoting a greater quality of life through education on lifestyle changes."
Texas has the highest rate of uninsured persons in the nation. According to 2004 Census data, 25% of residents were without any form of health insurance, compared to 16% of U.S. residents. In the Houston Metropolitan Area 30.4% have no health insurance. The most recent data show that in Harris County13.6% of whites are uninsured compared to 46.7% of Hispanics and 30.9% of persons in the Black and Other group. The 2005 Asian American Health Needs Assessment (AsANA) study indicates that 20% of Chinese and 30% of Vietnamese are uninsured.
"One of the biggest problems faced by Asian American and Pacific Islander communities is that there just isn't enough data about the specific problems facing our communities. Combining distinct and diverse populations as ‘other' creates barriers to addressing our needs," said Dr. Beverly Gor, past president of the Asian American Health Coalition. "As we look forward to a new presidential administration, it's clear that any agenda must include enriching data to provide information specific to each group - which will provide local leaders with the ability to set priorities and allocate resources to address particular disparities."
There are over 23,000 Native Americans in Harris County representing Tribes and Nations from across the United States. There is no central community or health care facility, which makes it difficult to document needs and gaps in services. Many Native Americans lack health insurance and access to healthcare.
"The summit's focus on health disparities is of particular importance to Native Americans and we welcome the opportunity to share our concerns," said Deborah Scott, president of the Native American Health Coalition. "Our communities are in a state of health care crisis due to chronic underfunding of the Indian Health Service and a lack of access. Without change, health disparities between Native people and the general U.S. population will continue to widen."
This year's Health Summit will bring together local communities, health experts and policymakers to learn from regional and local experiences that can inform national health policies and programs. To address shifting national priorities that accompany changes in presidential administrations, the Tri-Caucus Health Summit will seek to build consensus on policies that address health disparities, to develop strategies for advocacy at the federal level, and to engage communities of color in legislative action and outreach.
"The Tri-Caucus Minority Health Summit is a great opportunity to work with Members of Congress to address health disparities, and to share the successes we have had at the local and regional levels which could be expanded nationwide," said Louise Villejo, president of the Hispanic Health Coalition. "It's important too that all of our communities come together and learn from one another about particular challenges we face and the common goals we can strive toward to reduce health disparities."
The 6th Annual Congressional Tri-Caucus Minority Health Summit is being organized by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), the Asian American Health Coalition, the African American Health Coalition, the Hispanic Health Coalition, the Center for Research on Minority Health at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Families USA, the Kellogg Health Scholars Program at the Center for Advancement in Health, the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine, and Out of Many, One (OMO). Sponsors of the event include the American Public Health Association, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Sanofi-aventis, Sanofi Pasteur, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
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