Efforts Call For Racial Health Equity In Health Reform, Provide Immigrants With Public Health Assistance Information, Urge Use Of EHRs Among Hispanics

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Public Health;  Nursing / Midwifery;  Dentistry
Article Date: 11 May 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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The following highlights efforts that seek to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities.

• American Hospital Association: More than 20 national organizations on Monday in a letter to President Obama and Congress urged lawmakers to address racial health disparities as part of comprehensive health reform. The group said that health reform "should improve incentives, resources and data collection; increase the number of nurses, doctors, dentists, mental health practitioners and other caregivers in minority and underserved communities; and provide coverage and access to care for all, resources to address the factors that contribute to the disparities gap, and training to help health care providers deliver culturally competent care." The list of priorities is based on AHA Special Advisory Group on Improving Hospital Care for Minorities (AHA release 5/4).
  
  
• New York: The office of New York Public Advocate Betsy Gottbaum has published a new public benefits guide for immigrants, New York Daily News reports. The guide was developed by the New York Immigration Coalition and provides information about which services -- such as financial assistance, food stamps and health care programs -- immigrants might qualify for. The guide is available in English, Bengali, Chinese, Korean, Russian and Spanish (Wernick, New York Daily News, 5/7).
  
  
• Washington, D.C.: At the 2009 Latino Coalition's 2009 Economic Summit, coalition Chair Hector Barreto recognized MMR Information Systems electronic health records system mymedicalrecords.com for bringing EHRs to the Hispanic community. According to Barreto, MyMedicalRecords EHRs is the first bilingual EHR system to serve the Hispanic community and also help bring health care equality to the group. MMR provides EHRs and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions (MMR release, 5/6).

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© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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