Apr. 27--ALBANY -- Hispanic men die from accidents at nearly twice the national rate for men, and Hispanic women die from diabetes at twice the national rate for women, according to a study released Saturday in Albany.
And while Latinos as a nationwide group have a relatively good health profile -- partly due to a young average age and short average length of stay in the country -- several barriers to effective care persist. Those include language and cultural barriers that, despite legislation mandating professional interpreters in hospitals, have proved difficult to bridge.
"For newcomers, some of the folks who come here don't know the lay of the system," said Jose Davila, director of government affairs for the New York Immigration Coalition, who attended a news conference Saturday near the Capitol, where the report was released. "We need to do more to close the gaps -- language barriers and sometimes immigration status -- to Latinos and immigrants."
The report was one of the highlights of this weekend's Somos El Futuro annual conference, a series of legislative forums, lectures and educational opportunities coordinated by the state Assembly's Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force. The conference is designed for business, labor and community leaders to find ways to meet needs of the state's Hispanic communities. It included a reception with Gov. David Paterson, who was scheduled to make remarks to the gathering Saturday night.
The 26-page report, titled "Health Disparities Impacting Latinos in New York State," was sponsored by Assemblyman Peter Rivera, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Mental Health and authored by members of the New York Latino Research and Resources Network and Hunter College and Fordham University.
Dr. Carlos Vargas-Ramos, one of the authors, said that living and working in "poor environments" is a major factor driving poor health among Latinos.
"Latinos are specifically affected because they tend to work in trades and professions that do not necessarily provide health insurance in the typical benefits package," Vargas-Ramos said. "They tend to be overwhelmingly represented in the construction, agriculture and hospitality industries, which have a variety of hazards from scaffolding accidents to handling pesticides."
Rivera said that no legislation was immediately planned based on the study's findings, but that it will be useful for future policy formulation. Vielkind can be reached at 454-5043 or by e-mail at jvielkind@timesunion.com.
-----
To see more of the Albany Times Union, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesunion.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, Albany Times Union, N.Y.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.