Page 19 - Latinas Powering Forward Whitepaper
P. 19

Latinas Powering Forward





        Lagging in Healthcare




        Latinas and their families are less likely to get the   Among non-elderly adults in 2017, 25% of Hispanics had
        healthcare they need due to lack of information, cultural   no health insurance over the past year, compared to 8%
                                                       27
        barriers, and limited access to affordable healthcare.    of non-Hispanic Whites. About 22% of Hispanics skipped
        Latinas gravitate to providers who relate to them in a   care altogether due to cost compared to 13% of non-
        personal and empathetic way. They are looking for the   Hispanic Whites. Another 46% of Hispanics passed on a
        encouragement, understanding and patience that many   dental visit compared to 32% of non-Hispanic Whites.
        received in their countries of origin. In addition to these
        cultural needs, there is a shortage of medical providers   Negative consequences for Latinas include higher
        who speak Spanish and a scarcity of Latina doctors,   mortality rates for breast cancer compared to non-
        which are important for women’s issues.               Latinas, and the highest rate of cervical cancer in the
                                                              U.S. Despite the risks, Latinas are less likely to receive
        Lower income Latinas often do not have the option to   regular screenings for mammograms, pap tests or
        miss work or they do not have transportation to make   cancer screenings.  Latinas don’t have the same level of
                                                                               28
        doctor’s appointments. It is critical that these issues are   preventive care mindset that is more likely found among
        addressed since Latinas are the gatekeepers of family   nonethnic populations.
        health and these issues ripple to children and other
        family members.



















































        27       Paz, Karen, and Kelley Massey. “Health Disparity among Latina Women: Comparison with Non-Latina Women” Clinical Medicine Insights: Women’s Health,
                    vol. 9s1, 2016.
        28       “Health and Health Care for Hispanics in the United States.” Kaiser Family Foundation, 2019.

        ©2019 Telemundo. All rights reserved.                                                                  19
   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24