Local health care services for Latinos might face major budget cuts
Prince George's County Hospital, courtesy of The Sentinel
By Jason Lewis
Montgomery County and Prince George’s County have the first and second largest Latino populations in Maryland. In these lean economic times, there are many low-income Latino residents who have limited access to quality health care.
Montgomery County launched the Latino Health Initiative program in 2000 to help serve the health care needs of its large Hispanic and Latino population estimated to be 14.4 percent of the county’s roughly 942,747 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Prince George’s County does not provide such a comprehensive health outreach program to those in its Latino community who need it, even with an estimated Hispanic and Latino population of 100,863 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Yet, with Montgomery County facing a potential $779 million budget shortfall, funding for some of the program’s most important initiatives has been reduced, according to a MyFoxDC.com report.
“There are more people who want services, but there are fewer dollars available to provide those services,” said Olivia Carter-Pokras, associate professor in epidemiology at the University of Maryland College Park’s School of Public Health and member of the Steering Committee for Montgomery County’s Latino Health Initiative.
While nothing is definite until the Montgomery County Council ratifies the budget, Sonia E. Mora, manager and administrator at LHI, expects funding to be reduced for the following programs:
System Navigator and Interpreter Program: This initiative has aimed to help low-income and uninsured Latinos find the health services that they need. An integral part of the program has been its Bilingual Health Services Information Line—a hotline service that has been crucial in assisting client’s who have difficulties communicating in English.
The bilingual hotline is expected to be slashed from the county’s budget. Yet, fortunately, funding for the entire System Navigator and Interpreter Program comes from more sources than just the Montgomery County budget—so, it will continue to operate but in a more limited capacity.
Latino Youth Wellness: Launched in 2003, LYW focuses on a holistic approach to health care for Latino families and at-risk youth between the ages of 12 to 19—emphasizing mental, physical, social and emotional wellness. There will be a reduction in the number of clients that LYW can serve. LYW offers a program where children are encouraged and trained to pursue careers in the health care industry. Budget cuts will force this program to shut down.
Asthma Management Program: The asthma initiative seeks to support and educate low-income Latino families care for children suffering from asthma through a series of educational workshops and follow-up sessions. The program will also face budget reductions.
Despite the significant budget cuts that LHI faces, Mora understands the situation that the county is in and is grateful that LHI can continue to serve the community.
“The county is going through a very difficult situation,” Mora said. “It’s tough because we’ve been diligent in building our programs over the years, but it’s a sign of the times. We’re just trying to maintain and still service the community.”
While Montgomery County is trying to maintain LHI through this rough economic storm, there are people in Prince George’s fighting to establish their county’s own Latino health initiative program.
The University of Maryland Prevention Research Center and the LHI in conjunction with the University of Maryland Breathmobile program recently sent a proposal to the CDC to fund expansion of LHI’s asthma programs into Prince George’s County for Latinos, according to Carter-Pokras
William Hanna, professor in urban studies and planning at the University of Maryland, has actively worked over the years to bring health services to low-income Latino residents of Langley Park in Prince George’s County.
Hanna runs free health fairs twice a year in Langley Park—including one each May during the annual Langley Park Day. The health fair offers free health education, referrals to health care services and medical screenings.
Yet, even he is not so optimistic about the chances of Prince George’s County funding a comprehensive Latino health initiative in the near future.
“I don’t see it happening any time soon,” Hanna. “The chances are pretty much nil.”
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on May 29 2010. Filed under Local News, News.
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