ADVISORY/Latino Health Alliance Speaks Out for California Latinos.

News Editors/Government & Health Reporters

ADVISORY...for March 19

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18, 2002

The Latino Health Alliance (LHA) alerts the Governor and California Legislators that its membership holds them accountable to safeguard the healthcare of California's Latino population.

This serves as an invitation for the California Governor and Legislators to refer to the LHA as a resource on state and national Latino healthcare.

The LHA is monitoring and will report back to Californians on the development of the State budget, its impact on California's Latino population and their access to healthcare.

WHAT: The Latino Health Alliance will hold a forum to present and discuss
healthcare issues facing California's future from the perspectives and
realities of the Latino population. The forum will feature current issues and
programs presented in Governor Davis' California budget as well as critique of
current programs. Speakers, members of the Latino Health Alliance, will cover
the following topics: -- Health disparities -- Government sponsored programs
such as Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, Child Health and Disability Prevention
Program, portability of programs and proposed California budget --
Uninsured/safety net providers that include clinics, solo providers, and the
impact of hospital closures -- Federal and state requirements that address
cultural and linguistic access standards WHEN: Tuesday, March 19, 2002 from
3:00 - 5:00 p.m. WHERE: Golden State Museum Auditorium at 1020 "O" Street in
Sacramento, California. A reception will be held immediately following at the
Golden State Museum. The briefing and reception are sponsored by Kaiser
Permanente. WHO: The Latino Health Alliance, which is represented by nine of
the most respected state and national Latino-led health and advocacy groups, is
a resource to California Legislators, policy makers, healthcare industry and
the media. Members are California Latino Medical Association, California
Primary Care Association, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, Latino
Issues Forum, League of United Latin American Citizens, Mexican-American Legal
and Defense Fund, National Association of Latino Elected Officials, National
Council of La Raza and the United Farm Workers AFL-CIO. NOTICE: The Latino
Health Alliance is committed to going forward with this timely briefing and
will not allow hate crime incidents against several of our members to deter us
from achieving this goal. Reminder to reporters and participants that the
Golden State Museum is a state building therefore, please be prepared to
present your identification to enter.