Tag: health equity

Cobertura de salud para todos en Washington sin importar el estatus migratorio

In English

A partir del 1 de noviembre, todas las personas que vivan en Washington podrán adquirir un seguro médico a través de Washington Healthplanfinder. ¿Tiene preguntas? ¿Necesita ayuda para inscribirse? Mire para saber cómo conectarse con un profesional de confianza en su comunidad o con el Centro de atención al cliente de Washington Healthplanfinder. Encuentre un navegador o corredor en su área aquí: https://www.wahealthplanfinder.org/us….

A partir del 1 de Noviembre, todos los residentes del estado de Washington, independientemente de su estatus migratorio, podrán comprar un seguro médico y dental a través de Washington Healthplanfinder. 

Dos nuevos programas ayudarán a los inmigrantes a obtener cobertura médica en 2024. Las personas sin seguro pueden ser elegibles para uno de estos programas: 

Programa de expansión de acceso a planes médicos y dentales 

Una nueva exención federal, primera en su tipo en los Estados Unidos, brindará nuevas oportunidades para los residentes de Washington que no cuentan con seguro. A partir del 1 de noviembre de 2023, todas las personas en Washington, independientemente de su ciudadanía o estatus migratorio, podrán adquirir un seguro médico y dental a través de Washington Healthplanfinder, para obtener cobertura a partir de enero de 2024. Además, la cobertura será más asequible, con ahorros adicionales en las primas mensuales para hogares con ingresos de hasta al 250% del nivel federal de pobreza (FPL). 

Programa de expansión de acceso al seguro Washington Apple Health

La Autoridad de Atención Médica de Washington (HCA) ampliará la oferta de cobertura médica independientemente del estatus migratorio. A partir del 1 de julio de 2024, los habitantes indocumentados de Washington con ingresos inferiores al 138% del nivel federal de pobreza (FLP) podrán ser elegibles para la cobertura de Washington Apple Health (el Medicaid de Washington). 

 Más información: 

Health coverage for all Washingtonians, regardless of citizenship or immigration status

En Español

Starting on November 1st, all people living in Washington will be able to purchase health insurance through Washington Healthplanfinder. Find a Navigator or Broker in your area here: https://www.wahealthplanfinder.org/us….

Starting Nov. 1, 2023, all Washington residents, regardless of citizenship or immigration status, have access to purchase qualified health and dental plans from Washington Healthplanfinder.

These two new programs will help immigrants get healthcare coverage in 2024. If you are uninsured, you may be eligible for one of these two new programs.

What’s New?

Health Plan and Dental Plan Expansion

New first-in-kind federal waiver aims to improve access for uninsured Washingtonians. Starting November 1, 2023, everyone who lives in Washington state regardless of citizenship or immigration status will have the opportunity to buy health and dental insurance through Washington Healthplanfinder, for coverage starting January 2024. Premium assistance may also be available to undocumented adults with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL).

Washington Apple Health Expansion

The Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) will expand healthcare coverage regardless of immigration status. Starting July 1, 2024, undocumented Washingtonians with income under 138% of the federal poverty level (FLP) may be eligible for Washington Apple Health (Washington Medicaid).

Want to learn more?

• Flyers in English and Spanish
• Videos in English and Spanish
• Learn more about Healthplanfinder
• Additional resources in different languages

Long COVID in the Latinx Community: Summit in Review

Long COVID in the Latinx Community: An Unaddressed Consequence of COVID was a virtual summit hosted on May 5th by the Latino Center for Health to discuss the impacts of long COVID in the Latinx community in Washington state.

The summit brought together a diverse group of attendees from various fields and backgrounds, all sharing a common goal of better understanding and addressing the challenges faced by individuals affected by long COVID. The summit provided an enriching platform for open discussions, exchange of knowledge, and future collaborations between health officials, medical professionals, community leaders, elected officials, and key community stakeholders.

Event Overview

The summit included remarks and presentations from several honored guests:

  • Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, Chief of Health Science at the Executive Office of Health and Science at the Washington State DOH
  • Janna L. Friedly, Physiatrist at UW Medicine’s Rehabilitation Medicine clinics at Harborview Medical Center and a Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine 
  • Aarthi Talla, Principal Bioinformatician at The Allen Institute for Immunology 
  • Lisa McCorkell, Co-Founder and Long COVID Patient-Researcher at Patient-Led Research Collaborative
  • And a presentation by students of Frank Martinez, CTO at Carina and Guest Faculty Member at the UW iSchool 

In addition to presentations, small group breakout room sessions were held throughout the day. These allowed attendees from different professional backgrounds to share expertise and perspectives and serve as a springboard for collaboration.

Attendees hailed from a wide variety of organizations, including The Allen Institute for Immunology, Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic, Centro Cultural Mexicano, the Washington State Department of Health, and more.

Thematic Analysis

LCH-Long-COVID-Summit-OverviewDownload

Long COVID Resources

The Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration Ends May 11, 2023. What Does This Mean For You?

End of the Public Health
Emergency- Key Messages for the PublicDownload
Vacuna Contra El COVID-19 – Datos ClaveDownload
End of Public Health Emergency FlyerDownload
Fin De La Emergencia De Salud Pública Por El COVID-19Download

Latino Center for Health Studying Long COVID in Latinx Communities

Latino Center for Health Logo
The LCH is conducting a study that seeks to determine how many members of the Latino community are currently affected by long COVID, and how it is impacting their health and well-being.

The Latino Center for Health (LCH) is conducting a study to better understand the extent and impact of long COVID on the state’s Latino communities.

Partners in the study are SeaMar Community Health Centers, the Allen Institute for Immunology, and the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic.

Study leader Dr. Leo Morales, a professor of medicine at the UW School of Medicine and co-director of the Latino Center for Health, will direct the survey which focuses on Latinos age 18 years and older who have had a positive COVID-19 test result. The questionnaire will include questions about symptoms, the respondents’ medical history, whether they received the COVID vaccine, their physical and mental health, and their social and economic situations.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Latinos have the highest rates of long COVID. About 9% of Hispanic adults report symptoms, compared with 7.5% of U.S. adults overall.

“With this survey we hope to determine how many members of the Latino community are currently affected by long COVID, and how it is impacting their health and well-being,” said Morales.

Photo of Dr. Leo Morales
Dr. Leo Morales, co-director of the Latino Center for Health, is leading the LCH’s study on long COVID.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, Latino communities in Washington state have had higher rates of COVID-19 infection than the general population, higher rates of hospitalization, and higher rates of mortality on an age-adjusted basis,” Morales noted. “Yet we are not seeing many people from Latino communities showing up in our long-COVID clinics.”

The study will use the World Health Organization’s definition of long COVID: symptoms that began within three months of a probable or confirmed case of infection, which have persisted at least two months and cannot be explained by another diagnosis. Common long-COVID symptoms include fatigue, fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and problems with memory and thinking, often called “brain fog.”

“Many Latinos may not be aware of the symptoms of long COVID,” Morales said. “I suspect that a lot of people in Latino communities don’t know they have long COVID. They’re feeling badly, they’re having problems with fatigue or brain fog; they’re just not doing well, but they don’t exactly know why. Helping people understand what is going on and guiding them to evaluation and treatment is important.”

Morales said he hopes the project’s findings will not only help improve care of Latino individuals affected by long COVID, but also help guide policymakers to develop appropriate long-COVID services for Latino communities.

Project BRIDGE

New Latine Storytelling Group Launches COVID-19 Interview Series

Learn More About Project BRIDGE

Project BRIDGE is a new Seattle-based digital storytelling group formed by a team of Latine professionals dedicated to sharing under-told stories to advocate for our community’s health and research needs. This study was supported in part by funding from the Latino Center for Health.

Over the past year, Project BRIDGE interviewed six Latinas from around Washington state on their experiences as advocates, artists, researchers, mothers, and women dedicated to fighting for their communities on topics related to collaboration, decolonization, health care, migration, and navigating the pandemic.

Part I of BRIDGE’s three-part COVID-19 Interview Series highlights two advocates for undocumented detainees: Maru Mora Villalpando, Immigrant Community Organizer with La Resistencia, and Angelina Snodgrass Godoy, researcher, professor, and Director at the UW Center for Human Rights. In Part I: Advocating for Undocumented Detainees,  they discuss the relationship between community and academia and the barriers and facilitators of their work.

Watch the video below to hear Maru’s experiences advocating for her community of undocumented detainees and navigating barriers amplified by COVID-19: “The conditions in prisons don’t make you healthy; actually, they do the opposite.” — Maru Mora Villalpando

Part I – Episode I: Maru Mora Villalpando, La Resistencia Advocate + Immigrant Community Organizer

Click here to watch Episodes II + III where you’ll hear more from Maru and meet Angelina Snodgrass Godoy’s experiences as a human rights researcher.

The pandemic brought to light deep inequities in our systems. As we respond to the health needs in the Latine community, we hope our partners’ stories inform, expand, and inspire growth for advocates, researchers, and allies.

Visit the website by clicking here to learn more about our work and watch the rest of the COVID-19 Interview Series Project BRIDGE.

Project BRIDGE is a collaboration between the University of Washington, the Consulate of Mexico in Seattle, and community partners dedicated to advancing Latines in WA and beyond. BRIDGE is funded by the Population Health Initiative, Department of Communications, and Latino Center for Health at the University of Washington. 

Please contact Nathalia Jimenez for all queries at njimen@uw.edu

Latinx Leaders Across WA Call for Culturally Responsive Policies for COVID-19 Recovery

Latinx leaders from across the state share stories of loss and resilience while identifying new paths to recovery for their local communities.

University of Washington, Seattle: As the Latinx community continues to face disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders from across Washington state are calling for culturally responsive policies and resources to promote health equity for urban and rural Latinx communities statewide.

As of December 14, 2021, Latinos in Washington state account for 22% of COVID-19 cases while only 13% of the state’s population, and more than three times the mortality rate compared with non-Hispanic whites on an age-adjusted basis.

As part of a virtual symposium hosted by the Latino Center for Health in October, community leaders gained a collective understanding of the ongoing needs and shared stories of resilience in our community. Discussions centered around four topics significant to our Latinx communities in pandemic times:

  • COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts
  • Mental Health & Wellbeing
  • Return-to-School
  • Mutual Aid

LCH published four policy briefs highlighting the symposium’s main takeaways—along with key policy recommendations that aim to inform COVID recovery resource allocation and policymaking necessary to promote health equity for Latinx communities in Washington. Key policy recommendations include:

  • Increase multicultural and multilingual state programming and proactive information distribution (including emergency preparedness and response programming).
  • Increase the number of multicultural, multilingual WA therapists, psychologists, and other mental health practitioners and support the provision of telemental health services.
  • Mandate paid sick days for all employees (regardless of documentation status) needing time off for vaccinations and post-vaccination side-effects for themselves and their dependents.
  • Develop and implement culturally responsive, trauma-informed training for all educators and school staff at publicly funded schools.
  • Increase funding for community health worker initiatives in Latinx communities. Funding should go directly to community-based organizations that currently train and coordinate community health workers

“It’s important to invest in the people and grassroots organizations that have been on the ground for years,” said Marisol Lister, symposium panelist and Development and Communications Coordinator at Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN). “We know this is not going to be the last crisis that our communities will face.”

To learn more about Latinos’ experiences surrounding COVID-19 in WA state and additional recommendations for promoting health equity, visit our COVID-19 policy brief series page. 

COVID-19 Pandemic Intensifies Economic Disparities Among Latinos, Latinas in WA State

The new brief from LCH shows that Latino men and women are experiencing disproportionate economic hardships, with Latina women facing higher unemployment rates and caretaking responsibilities.

University of Washington, Seattle: As part of a COVID-19 policy brief, the Latino Center for Health reports that many Washington state Latinos are not able to meet their basic needs, including healthcare, food and housing security.

For Latinas (Hispanic women), the unemployment rate has risen more quickly than that of Latinos (Hispanic men) throughout the pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, Latinas left the workforce at twice the rate of Latinos. Eight months later, this disparity doubled. In addition, compared to other women in the workforce, Latinas left jobs at a rate three times higher than white women and four times higher than Black women.

“Latinas are facing a disproportionate economic impact from the pandemic,” said Research Coordinator Miriana C Duran, MD, MPH. “In addition to experiencing high unemployment rates, having new childcare responsibilities at home due to school closures has forced them to leave the workforce at an alarming rate. Latinas need policies that support an equitable and inclusive post-pandemic recovery.”

As essential workers, many Latinos and Latinas have experienced significantly higher job loss, decreased work hours, and work-related income as compared with whites. According to the LCH survey study, 60 percent of all participants reported their household income was reduced due to the pandemic and 44 percent of the participants reported not being able to meet their basic needs.

“Latinos have suffered from losses and poor health due to COVID-19,” said Co-Author Aida Hidalgo-Arroyo, PhD. “They have faced dire personal and financial struggles despite their essential role in keeping the country and the economy moving…it is about time we support them back.”

LCH policy recommendations include:

  • Expanding the federal unemployment benefits through Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Emergency Paid Leave and Emergency Family and Medical Leave.
  • Increasing the minimum wage and eliminating tipped minimum wage.
  • Increasing relief funding for childcare.
  • Enhancing worker rights and protections such as safety protocols for essential workers.
  • Providing support to undocumented Latino and Latina immigrants.

This policy brief is part of LCH’s COVID-19 policy brief series. LCH researchers used data from the 2019 Census QuickFacts website and the WA State Department of Health COVID-19 Dashboard.

Other recommendations for increasing vaccine uptake among Latinos can be found in our recent policy briefs on vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 information sources.

Vaccination Rates Among Washington State Latinos Remain Low as Delta Variant Emerges in the U.S.

A new policy brief from LCH reports that state and county support for community-based organizations is vital to help vulnerable Latino communities who are being left behind in vaccination efforts. Read the policy brief here.

University of Washington, Seattle: Although significant progress has been made in vaccinating the overall population of Washington State against COVID-19, Latino communities remain vulnerable to infection as the majority remain unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. As part of a COVID-19 policy brief, LCH reports that in Washington State as a whole, only 35 percent of Latinos are fully vaccinated, 6 percent are partially vaccinated, and 60 percent are unvaccinated.

“With the growing threat of the COVID-19 Delta variant in our region, it is imperative that we vaccinate as many Latinos as possible before the fall when schools reopen and cooler temperatures will drive infection rates higher,” said LCH co-Director Leo S. Morales, MD, PhD, who wrote the policy brief.

This policy brief is part of LCH’s COVID-19 policy brief series. LCH researchers used data from the 2019 Census QuickFacts website and the WA State Department of Health COVID-19 Dashboard.

Hispanics/Latinos have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 infection and deaths nationally and locally. In Washington State, as of June 15th, 2021, nearly one-third (29%) of all COVID-19 cases were among Latinos, even though Latinos only account for 13% of the state’s population. Counties with the largest numbers of unvaccinated Latinos include King (120,226), Yakima (82,916), Peirce (71,379), Snohomish (58,440), and Franklin (40,084) counties.

The attached policy brief urges county and state officials, including elected representatives, to strengthen their support of grassroots, community-based organizations. This support is vital to expand access and overcome hesitancy to COVID-19 vaccines among Latinos in Washington.

Support at the state and county level will protect unvaccinated and partially vaccinated Latinos for the fall season when the spread of the Delta variant is expected to intensify.

Read The Full Policy Brief Here

South Park Community Center Vaccination Clinic, May 2021. Photo by Hugo Ludeña.

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The Latino Center for Health is committed to advancing the field of Latino health through building capacity to support culturally responsive research and shaping the next generation of leaders equipped to respond to current and emerging health issues facing diverse Latino communities in the state and region. Through prioritizing community-academic partnerships, professional training and mentorship, and innovative research approaches, the Latino Center for Health positions itself as a critical resource to inform policy development and effective practices promoting health in urban and rural settings across Washington state.