Leggett Joins Latino Health Steering Committee to Release Blueprint for Latino Health Report

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 28, 2017

County Executive Isiah Leggett today joined the Latino Health Steering Committee of Montgomery County for the release of the third edition of the “Blueprint for Latino Health in Montgomery County, Maryland 2017 – 2026.”  The health status report outlines the most challenging quality of life issues facing the more than 192,000 Latinos living in Montgomery County and recommends strategies for improving the health and wellness of Latinos in the community. 

 

“We are concerned about the health status of all of our county residents and the Blueprint will be invaluable in providing guidance and direction in developing programs that will improve the health and human service outcomes for Latinos in our community,” said Leggett.

 

The report finds that adverse health disparities continue to be a serious and persistent public health problem facing Latinos in Montgomery County.  Among the most notable health disparities, 22% of Maryland Latinos cannot afford to see a doctor; 29% of adult, working age Latinos in Montgomery County are uninsured; and 47% of Maryland Latinos do not have a primary care physician.  In addition, more than half of all Latinos (55%) in the county are overweight, and across the state, Latinos are 41% more likely to have diabetes than the Caucasian/White population.

 

The report also notes the importance of non-health specific social determinants that have an impact on Latinos’ health--such as housing conditions, income disparities, employment conditions and changing federal immigration policies.

 

Montgomery County is now one of the most diverse counties in the United States, and Latinos comprise almost 20% of the county’s population.  A third of Latinos in Montgomery County are foreign born and they are younger than the overall county population, with a median age of 30.6 years compared with 38.9 years’ median years’ county-wide mark.  As the Latino population continues to grow and demonstrate its unique social and cultural characteristics, County services must reflect evolving demographics and emerging health and non-health needs.

 

In 2000, the Latino Health Initiative was established by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, to address health disparities in the county, and the first Blueprint for Latino Health in Montgomery County was released in 2002.  The 2017-2026 Blueprint marks the third edition of this important guide for developing culturally and linguistically competent policies and programs for improving the health and well-being of the Latino population in Montgomery County.

 

“We are living in an era of heightened anxiety and uncertainty and nowhere is this more acutely felt than in the Latino community,” said Maria Gomez, President and CEO of Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care and co-chair of the steering committee.  “On one side, there are the hostile immigration policies and inflammatory rhetoric keeping the Latino community home and limiting their access to important services.  On the other side, there are legislative efforts in Congress aimed at gutting the health care system and rolling back Medicaid which would disproportionately impact Latino and many other underserved communities.   The result is an assault from all fronts, on the health and well-being of the Latino community specifically, and more broadly, on our collective sense of community and the quality of life we are able to enjoy.”

 

The 2017-2026 Blueprint marks the culmination of an extensive twenty-month long process that engaged over 100 members of the community, stakeholders from public and private health entities, and community-based organizations.  The 2017-2026 Blueprint offers data on Latinos, identifies ongoing challenges, proposes solutions and is meant to be used as a tool to improve individual and community health in Montgomery County.  The report outlines six action-oriented priority areas, such as expanding and focusing health and wellness promotion efforts, ensuring equitable access to utilization and quality of health and social services, and increasing the number of bilingual and bicultural health professionals working in Montgomery County.

For more information, please call 240-777-3221.  The report can be found here.

 

# # #

 

Release ID: 17-439
Media Contact: Sonia Mora 240-777-1779