Health issues next for Hispanic life forums
By Juan Castillo | Statesman, April 27, 2009
Tomorrow’s community forum on health, part of the ongoing city-led Hispanic Quality of Life Initiative, is sparking a lot of interest among health care providers and nonprofit groups that promote awareness of health issues.
Tuesday’s forum is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center, 808 Nile St. The center is next to the Rosewood-Zaragosa Neighborhood Center.
Representatives from about 18 organizations, including the American Heart Association and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, have inquired about having tables and dispensing information at the forum, Paul Saldaõa, a consultant who is facilitating the event, said this morning.
“The theme of the forum is accessibility to health care, affordable health care, and promoting responsible and healthy communities and active and healthy lifestyles,” Saldaõa said, noting that heart disease and diabetes disproportionately affect Latinos.
Local Hispanics surveyed by the United Way Capital Area recently rated health as their second most pressing community concern, behind education.
Tuesday’s forum is the last in a series of four scheduled forums. Comments captured at the discussions and through online surveys will help shape recommendations on how to make the City of Austin a better place to live for Latinos.
The city estimates that conservatively, 36 percent of Austin’s population is Hispanic and that Latino growth will account for 70 to 80 percent of total city growth by the end of the decade.
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