Poverty and language barriers are major factors that lead to health disparities within the local Latino community, a new report from Common Ground Health finds.
The report, “Unheard: How Silencing Latino Voices Harms Latino Health Equity,” is the organization’s third in a series of health equity studies. The study uses anecdotal evidence and data to capture the social, economic and health challenges that Spanish speakers face regularly.
The Latino population in the Finger Lakes region is growing quickly. As of 2020, there are 93,119 Latinos living in the region, a 37% increase from 2010.
“It reflects the fact that the region's Latino population is not only Puerto Rican, and this growth also reflects the diversity that is the Americas,” said Wade Norwood, Common Ground Health CEO.
One principal issue that the report underscores is the language barrier within health care systems.
“One of things we really want to stress is that it should not be a privilege to understand what your provider says to you,” said Mary Zelazny, Finger Lakes Community Health CEO. “It has to be a right for people to know what they're getting told, and how they can improve their health outcomes, so we don't have all these disparities.”
The report also addresses mental health and substance use. Julio Jordan, vice chair of the Latino Health Coalition, spoke about the tight-knit Latino community flourishing on North Clinton Avenue in Rochester. Jordan said the area has also been plagued by redlining and the opioid epidemic.
“The overdoses and the needles just keep piling up,” Jordan said. “This takes a toll not only on our families, but our children.”
Despite being the fastest-growing population in the United States and locally, Latino residents are three times as likely than non-Latino white residents to live in poverty within the region, the data shows. Norwood said poverty and lack of insurance can lead to health inequities and a lack of access to health care.
“Quite simply, poverty kills,” Norwood said.
Rudy Rivera is the chair of the Latino Health Coalition, which partnered with Common Ground to produce the report. He said he hopes the report results in the various systems engaging the Latino community with dignity.
“We are simply tired, and we will not be silent,” Rivera said.
The list of solutions includes a minimum language requirement for all agencies and hiring more Latino doctors and health care professionals.
