FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
September 15, 2015 Kathy Mimberg
(202) 776-1714
kmimberg@nclr.org
Forum in San Antonio will address how where we live, work and play has an impact on health and how innovative practices can improve Latino health outcomes
SAN ANTONIO—NCLR (National Council of La Raza) will host a Health Summit September 22–23 in San Antonio to address how our built environment—the areas where we live, work and play—affects Latino health. Health experts, community activists and government officials will come together for an agenda that explores issues such as access to health insurance and medical care, the effect of housing on health, and the role of promotores de salud (community health workers) as agents of change. The forum will take place at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio, located at 600 E. Market Street.
The summit’s focus reflects how a person’s health is affected by his or her surroundings. The inaccessibility of walking paths, bicycle lanes and sidewalks, for example, can foster sedentary habits which contribute to obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. Today, approximately two-thirds of Americans are overweight and nearly 40% of Latinos suffer from obesity.
The NCLR Health Summit will provide participants with: (1) information about Latino health issues related to where they live, (2) best-practice models on topics ranging from increasing access to fresh produce in Hispanic neighborhoods to enrolling Latinos in health coverage available under the Affordable Care Act, and (3) advocacy training to address barriers to health and improve Latino health outcomes.
The summit will feature experts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the American Heart Association and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, among others. Speakers from local organizations include members of NCLR’s Affiliate Network, such as Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe, El Paso, Texas; GOAL Academy, Pueblo, Col.; San Ysidro Health Center, San Diego; and Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Chicago. Other speakers will come from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the University of California at Davis, the Transamerica Center for Health Studies, and the National Association of Community Health Centers.
Registration for the NCLR Health Summit and lodging information can be found at www.nclr.org. The event is presented by Eli Lilly and Company. For more information, please contact Kathy Mimberg at (202) 776-1714 or kmimberg@nclr.org.
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: NCLR Health Summit on how our built environment affects Latino health
WHEN: September 22–23, 2015
WHERE: Grand Hyatt
600 E. Market Street
San Antonio, Texas 78205
WHO: Health organizations and experts, community groups, and others from Texas and throughout the United States as described above
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
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