President/CEO of National Hispanic Medical Association Dr. Elena Rios Addresses Health Care and Health Disparities at Republican National Convention
To: HEALTH EDITORS
Contact: Carol Castaneda for the National Hispanic Medical Association, +1-703-369-0414, Cell: +1-703-863-9960, Castaneda77@aol.com
WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Dr. Elena Rios, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), spoke at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, St. Paul and discussed health care and health disparities.
Rios was the only speaker addressing health care issues at the Republican convention. She spoke Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time as part of RNC theme of “reform.”
Rios was among a prominent roster of government and private- sector speakers tonight. The list included Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican Party’s nominee for vice president, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.), former EBay President and CEO Meg Whitman, former Hewlett-Packard Chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina and GOPAC Chairman Michael Steele.
Rios’ speech focused on health care as a national issue that “extends beyond the individual to virtually every aspect of society – it determines our economic productivity; it impacts the ability of children to learn; it even affects our military readiness.”
According to Rios: “The deck is stacked against some of us. Our nation is becoming more diverse. By 2042, people of color will be the emerging majority. One out of three Americans will be Hispanic. While this is truly something to celebrate, it also poses unique challenges when it comes to ensuring a healthy population.”
For example, twice as many Hispanics have diabetes than non- Hispanic whites. The incidence of HIV/AIDS among Hispanic women is five times that of whites. African Americans face higher rates of mortality for heart disease and cancer.
The problem is compounded by poverty, language and cultural barriers, limited access to health information and the limited number of Hispanic physicians and nurses in the U.S., said Rios.
“With the right leadership, we can meet this challenge and have universal access to health care that is affordable for all Americans,” according to Rios’ speech. “John McCain’s focus on prevention will go a long way toward lowering the cost and incidence of chronic diseases.”
For example, McCain plans to expand walk-in clinics as alternatives to emergency room care – thus lowering costs and offering more responsive and effective care, according to her statement.
NHMA, a nonprofit group based in Washington, DC, that represents Hispanic physicians in the United States, will work with government “to tear down barriers that create health disparities for millions of minorities,” Rios said.
Rios founded and established NHMA in 1994 to improve health care for Hispanics and the underserved in the U.S. To that end, NHMA has worked to combat obesity, diabetes and cultural competence in health care and improve care for the uninsured and all Americans. NHMA serves as a resource to the White House, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health and Congress.
“We have the greatest health care system in the world, with the finest doctors and cutting-edge technology. Yet, some people are falling through the cracks. Costs are rising at an unsustainable rate. And this impacts everyone’s ability to secure affordable health insurance,” said Rios.
NHMA is working with federal officials to help make government programs more efficient and health insurance more accessible to more Americans than ever before.
“Whether you live in a barrio or on Main Street, U.S.A., the best of the American health care system should be available to you,” Rios said.
Established in 1994 in Washington, DC, NHMA is a nonprofit association that represents licensed Hispanic physicians in the U.S. in its mission to improve health care for Hispanics and the underserved. For more information, visit http://www.nhmamd.org.
SOURCE National Hispanic Medical Association
(c) 2008 U.S. Newswire. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.