National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, 2022. The designation is a tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have enriched and influenced society.
In recognition of the contributions of Hispanic Americans in the Kansas City-area, Swope Health sponsors three free, online lunchtime events:
- Noon, Thursday, Oct. 6 with John Fierro, president and CEO of Mattie Rhodes Center. Join: https://swopehealth.zoom.us/j/8171596388
- Noon, Tuesday, Oct. 11 with Edgar Palacios, CEO of LatinX Education Collaborative. Join: https://swopehealth.zoom.uz/j/85720094410
- Noon, Thursday, Oct. 13 with Carlos Gomez, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City. Join: https://swopehealth.zoom.us/j/83634468155
In support of Swope Health’s role as the voice of community health in Kansas City, Swope Health also addresses and advocates for solutions to the common health disparities facing Hispanic populations.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health, Hispanic populations suffer from lower rates of health insurance coverage compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts, with nearly 30% of Hispanic adults aged 18 to 64 uninsured.
CMS also notes:
- Like other minority groups, Hispanic populations are disproportionately affected by chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
- Hispanic subpopulations also face their own distinct health disparities including higher rates of smoking among Puerto Rican and Cuban male populations, as well as higher rates of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis among Mexican populations.
- Additionally, among Hispanic pregnant individuals, the maternal mortality rate increased significantly from 2019 to 2020, largely due to COVID-19-related health disparities.
CMS provides materials in Spanish, data, resources on language access, culturally and linguistically appropriate services and more in this resource list:
- For consumer-friendly resources in Spanish, visit the Coverage to Care (C2C) website in Spanish. Be sure to download the newly updated C2C Roadmap to Behavioral Health (Spanish), which serves as a companion guide for mental health and substance use service with the Roadmap to Better Care (Spanish).
- The newly updated Managing Diabetes: Medicare Coverage and Resources is now also available in Spanish and is aimed at helping patients with managing their diabetes and health coverage.
- The Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex: April 2022 stratified report looks at racial, ethnic, and gender differences in health care experiences and quality of care for people with Medicare Advantage.
- The Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool can be used to identify areas of disparity between subgroups of people with Medicare (e.g., racial and ethnic groups) in health outcomes, utilization, and spending. This tool is also available in Spanish.
- The Understanding the Health Needs of Diverse Groups of Hispanic Medicare Beneficiaries report examines the medical needs and challenges of a fast growing Hispanic population.
- A Practical Guide to Implementing the National CLAS Standards (culturally and linguistically appropriate services) serves to enable health care organizations to implement the National CLAS Standards, improve health equity, and provide practical tools and examples of culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
- The CMS’s Guide To Developing A Language Access Plan is a resource to help organizations develop a plan to provide services to individuals who are non-English speaking or have limited English proficiency.
- The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals e-learning program provides a guide for behavioral health professionals to increase their cultural and linguistic competency.
- To find federal vaccine resources, visit the Immunization and Vaccine Resources webpage and CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Webpage in Spanish.
