Our local CHPW team was honored to be part of the 2024 Latina Health Symposium on September 9, 2024, at Renton Technical College. This annual event is a forum for community health workers, public health professionals, Latino/a/e community members, and social service professionals to come together to learn about and discuss health-related topics that impact Hispanic/Latina women.
As a sponsor of the annual event, hosted by the Fred Hutch Cancer Center Office of Community Outreach & Engagement in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we had the privilege of sharing a few words with attendees.
Reyna Santiago (CHPW Account Manager) delivered a passionate speech and shared the story of a CHPW member, originally from Columbia, who was experiencing multiple barriers to access to care and was just days away from giving birth.
Reyna shared how one of our Community Health Workers was able to connect with the member and let her know she wasn’t alone. From making sure the member had groceries to come home to after having her baby, to ensuring she had assistance in enrolling in low-income utility programs, CHPW was with her every step of the way.
“At CHPW, our overarching strategy is unwavering: to be a leader in the pursuit of whole-person care. This means recognizing that Latinas need equitable access to quality care and the best way to ensure we get there is to come together as a community. We’re all here today because we understand that together we can help address social drivers we know are greatly affecting Latinas across the state,” Reyna shared during her speech.
Last year, the National Women’s Law Center published the “Social Determinants of Health Metrics for Latinas by State” and as it turns out, in Washington State, approximately 24% of Latinas ages 19 to 64 lacked health insurance between 2017 and 2021; nationally, one in five Latinas lacked health insurance coverage during that time. Simply put, lack of health insurance coverage makes it more difficult for Latinas to access and afford health care. The health and well-being of Latinas begins with access to quality care.
At CHPW, our work focuses on fostering equitable, whole-person care by ensuring that every member can access a thorough, individualized, and interconnected health care approach. We’re committed to delivering accessible managed care services that meet the needs and improve the health of our communities and we’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with providers and members in communities across Washington State.
Photo, from left: Reyna Santiago (CHPW Account Manager) sharing remarks during the symposium’s welcome program; Reyna Santiago, Kathy Briant (Fred Hutch’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement Assistant Director), and Carmen Marquez-Mendez (CHPW Account Manager).
