George Fernandez, CEO of Latino Connection, York, Pa. (Capital-Star photo).
YORK, Pa. — Political and community leaders, as well as healthcare executives from across this south-central Pennsylvania city gathered Tuesday to announce their effort to address health disparities among Hispanic-Americans in Pennsylvania.
The second Latino Health Summit will be held April 17-18 at the York Expo Center. It’s being co-sponsored by the advocacy and professional group Latino Connection; the Pennsylvania Dept. of Health; the Governor’s Commission on Latino Affairs, and the city of York.
The first summit, held in Lancaster, Pa., last April, attracted attendees from more than 30 Pennsylvania counties and five states, organizers said in a statement. According to ranking lists by USA Today and the 24/7 Wall Street, Pennsylvania remains one of the least hospitable states for Hispanics, who are at-risk for maladies including cancer, diabetes and obesity.
“We need to engage the community and see if there’s something we can do,” to address these pressing health issues, said Tomas Aguilar, a Health Department official who attended a Tuesday press conference at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts in downtown York.
George Fernandez, the founder and CEO of Latino Connection, said in a statement that “long-term commitments to evolve toward diversity should be a fundamental requirement for health care organizations and their leaders.”
Through collaboration “we can improve not only the health and wellbeing of our Latino community,” York Mayor Michael Helfrich said.
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