Keystone Mercy Health Plan Hosts 'hacia una Familia saludable/
Towards a Healthy Family'
Bilingual, Bi-cultural Health Conference Targets Latino Families
Philadelphia, PA - Keystone Mercy Health Plan and a Coalition of Latino Community Organizations including Plain Language and Culture, Inc., North Philadelphia Health Systems, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Concilio, APM, Kensington Hospital, and ASPIRA Inc. will host a one-day bilingual and bi-culture health conference, Hacia una Familia Saludable/Towards a Healthy Family on Saturday November 11, 2006, from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm at the Julia de Burgos Middle school, 4th St. and Lehigh Ave. in Philadelphia.
The immediate aim is to create an opportunity for health care professionals and agencies to present the latest information on health promotion and disease prevention and control to the Latino families. It is also an opportunity for Latino participants to discuss health information, ask questions and receive education in a consumer centered in plain language and using a fun approach. This one-day conference will target Latinos and their families in the greater Philadelphia area.
“We are proud to be part of this bilingual bicultural conference,” says Anne Morrissey, President, Pennsylvania Managed Care, Keystone Mercy Health Plan. “It is important for health care organizations and professionals to work together to identify and address the different barriers to effective, quality health care for Hispanic families.”
According to the US Census, the estimated Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2005 is 42.7 million, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 14% of the nation’s total population. These demographic changes increase the importance of addressing disparities in health status. According to the Center for Diseases Control eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health requires better efforts at preventing disease, promoting health and improving access to appropriate care. It also requires innovative ways of working in partnership with health care systems, State and local governments, and community-based organizations and communities. This bilingual/bicultural health conference is a sample of an innovative way to make possible these partnerships, give information of resources, educate on health promotion and disease prevention and help to improving patient’s health literacy in the language that they speak.
The first Hacia una Familia Saludable/Towards a Healthy Family conference is made possible partially through support from Glaxo SmithKline, Keystone Mercy Health Plan, UNIVISION, the city and state health departments as well as other local organizations, which are also partners in the planning of this event. For more information go to www.plculture.org or call Aracely Rosales at 215-849-0545.
About Keystone Mercy Health Plan
Keystone Mercy Health Plan is Pennsylvania's largest Medical Assistance (Medicaid) managed care health plan serving more than more than 274,000 Medical Assistance recipients in Southeastern Pennsylvania including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Keystone Mercy Health Plan is a mission driven, health care ministry of the Sisters of Mercy with more than 20 years of experience. Its corporate parent partners are Mercy Health System and Keystone First, a subsidiary of Independence Blue Cross. Keystone Mercy's mission is to help people get care, stay well and build healthy communities. Keystone Mercy has a special concerned for those who are poor. For more information about Keystone Mercy Health Plan, please visit www.keystonemercy.com.
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