The Santa Clara County in CA for the tenth consecutive year along with the Public health department is co-sponsoring a number of health education, and health promotion programs. The events that are supported by community based organizations and volunteers in assisting the immigrants from Latin America in this country. Among these events, one of the largest is America’s Bi-national health week which involves collaboration among several government, private, and community based agencies. It ensures sharing of resources and services to improve health and well-being of the Latino population living in US. A number of associated events took place along with main events like health fair, workshops, health screening and insurance recommendations . The activities and events held during Bi-national health week are free to participate.
Every person has the right to health, but these days health services have really become expansive, especially without insurance . People have lack of health information; access and financial support to pay for the medical expenses, and immigrant documentation are the most difficult challenges faced by these low income immigrants. This Bi-National Health week tries to help the communities that have not come across public health professionals for years. Being a community health worker the individuals must show commitment to the well being of some of vulnerable populations, by assisting them with access to health information, essential services and resources. These immigrants are contributing socially and economically to the country, so there must be efforts to improve the health and well-being of them . The coordinators have arranged for several workshops, conferences, health fair, and health screening for these immigrants. Once the resources are available to this community, it will help in educating and raising awareness of the importance of staying healthy, as it helps in promoting early detection of a variety of health issues.
Brief description of community health focuses
This year’s event focuses on several community health issues like diabetes, influenza, HIV/AIDS and access to health insurances. It focuses on the rates of diabetes and obesity that are high among the Latinos living in Santa Clara County. The health events will help to reduce the rates of these diseases, encouraging the community to attend various health promotional events and can avail health screening . Partnership with various organizations will offer free blood pressure, cholesterol, body fat analysis, vision and sugar check up, and further referrals to those whose health conditions are at risk, after examinations. This also ensures in providing free flu shots on seasonal basis. These focus on all aspects of health, encouraging the young generation, community and the staff to avail services and resources. Besides this bilingual information about low costs, nutrition, insurances, healthy exercises and all other facilities are available. Free HIV screening along with spinal screening is there. The Public Health Department along with Data Management Unit will arrange for the community health workers a work shop on public health data. The mission of this training ensures in understanding of how the public health department collects public health data and reports this information. This training will cover city, and small areas, neighborhood projects, which will help in learning more about the demographic, health data on small geographic area within the country. This ensures in providing an overview of the services as well as for adult immigrants and their health insurances .
The impact of these events lead to providing health care services to low income children, low income families, parents, elderly, youth and disabled persons, especially coming from the Latino immigrants . The Emergency Medi-Cal facilities are available to people who are legal immigrants, or immigrants presently residing in US. These are provided when there is serious illness or impairment of body functions, immediate or temporary coverage or Presumptive eligibility in Medi-Cal program for outpatient pregnant women, or people below Federal poverty level. Besides these, there is Pregnancy Only Medi-Cal gives assistance to family planning, prenatal and post partum services to women and immigrants. The program covering Medically Needy Medi-Cal do not provides cash aid but meets the Supplement Security Income (SSI), requirements of age, disability or Aid to families with dependent children . These individuals may have a share of the cost for medical goods and services. Coverage for Healthy Families includes low cost health, vision and dental coverage for children under 19 in low-income families. There are different health plans in different areas of California, which the families can choose. Another Child Health and Disability Prevention Program is a preventive health program for low-income children and youth, where eligible children receive periodic assessments of health and if suspected with any problem they further go for diagnosis and treatments. These children can be further enrolled into full scope Medi-Cal Healthy Families Programs whenever necessary. Some programs offered under Medi-Cal cover a limited range of services than full scope services. The income and the resource rules vary according to eligibility. Any person in need of health services must contact their county social services to find more about health programs .
The role of nursing is immense in providing all the health services and in helping people from all sectors to adopt a healthy life style plan especially for children, women, youth and people suffering from specific diseases. It needs to be highlighted that nursing serves as a crucial link to deliver the planned healthcare reforms to the intended recipients. In case of the plan to provide health services to the Latino community, record of trends of health conditions is a crucial factor. The same can be obtained through the effective collaboration with nursing at various stages. At the same time, nursing staff engaged in provision of health services are better placed to provide services to the community owing to exposure and opportunity of interaction. Keeping this in mind, the strategies need to be re-assessed to make amendments in consultation with nursing personnel, so that the planned steps are more effective in reality .
References
Taylor-Ide, D. & Taylor, C. E. (2009). Just and Lasting Change: When Communities Own Their Futures. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Victora, C. G., Habicht, J. P. & Bryce, J. (2004). Evidence-based public health: moving beyond randomized trials. American Journal of Public Health, 94(2), 400-405.
Yosso, J. T. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69-91.
