SANDY — Though disparities exist in access to insurance and health care for Hispanics nationally, at least two Utah programs that service Hispanic children are improving health care for them.
Dr. Elena Rios, president of the National Hispanic Medical Association, told dozens of Utah health care providers last week that her organization has lobbied to ensure the health care reform package now working its way through Congress has some provisions that address inequities for Hispanics, but there is more to do.
"This is a major first step, but it's not everything we wanted." Among other things, the bill would allow many more Hispanics to get health insurance, help fund obesity and diabetes prevention efforts and address problems with access to care for the poor.
A major drawback is a five-year waiting period before recent immigrants could be covered by the federal plan, she said.
"By 2042, one in four Americans will be Hispanic," including immigrants, mixed families and undocumented workers. "We have many of the same issues, even though we live in all different parts of the nation," she said, noting that Hispanics are uninsured at higher rates than any other group in America. Rios was the keynote speaker Thursday at the annual Hispanic Healthcare Task Force Conference at Salt Lake Community College.
For Utah's Hispanic children, particularly in Salt Lake County, services have grown to address medical needs during the past 10 to 15 years.
Dr. Karen Buchi, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah, oversees medical residents working at two Salt Lake Valley Health Department clinics in South Salt Lake and West Valley City. She said the U. and county government work in cooperation with several community partners to provide health services for at-risk children, a large majority of whom are Hispanic.
Pediatric medical care and prenatal care, particularly for teenage mothers, is enhanced by low-cost prescription drugs, bike helmets and even free books for children who qualify for treatment, she said. Counseling and mental health services are also available for those who qualify.
"We have never advertised our services, and we're not open to new patients in the broad sense," she said, noting everyone who receives services must be screened in order to qualify for care. Some 80 percent of both prenatal and pediatric patients are Hispanic.
Their experience with health care is possible through the work of 34 pediatric residents, 24 OB/GYN residents and 22 advance-practice nursing students, who provide care under supervision as part of their medical training.
Preventive measures include placing a fluoride varnish on the children's teeth to help avoid or delay tooth decay and education about the importance of bike helmet use.
The program, the health department and the U. are all under increasing financial pressure, and Buchi said she's looking for new funding mechanisms so they can continue to serve those who have no other option.
"It's the right thing to do," Buchi said.
Dr. Carole Stipelman is a pediatrician working with several government-funded Community Health Centers, which provide comprehensive health care services to the uninsured. "When our patients check in, 75 percent identify themselves as Hispanic on paper, but as we see them, it's more like 85 (percent) to 90 percent," she said.
The centers, in Taylorsville, Central City, Midvale and Rose Park, offer comprehensive health care services, including low-cost medications, nutrition counseling, eye exams, dental services, diabetes care, counseling and mental health services.
"Of all minority groups, Hispanic children are most likely to be uninsured," she said, noting that in 2006, 22 percent of Utah's uninsured children were Hispanic.
Other barriers to better health care include the language barrier and the difficulty of securing documentation to enroll in government-funded health care programs like Medicare and Children's Health Insurance Program.
At Community Health Centers, staff members are bilingual and have begun devoting more staff time to helping clients gather documentation to enroll in government programs, she said.
e-mail: carrie@desnews.com