Binational Health Week
Current as of December 2, 2009
OVERVIEW
Binational Health Week: Community Clinics and Health Centers Integral Involvement
Binational Health Week (BHW) is a yearly, multi-day event started by the Health Initiatives of the Americas, a UC-Berkeley research center, that promotes health care awareness and provides opportunities for routine medical examinations for California’s uninsured and underserved Latino population.
• California’s community clinics and health centers (CCHCs) are an integral player in hosting events and providing primary care services during BHW. Last year, CCHCs were involved in many of the nearly 6,000 events throughout California that served approximately 550,000 people.
• BHW developed from a consensus that Latino communities in the United States became unhealthier as they acquired a culture of unhealthy habits, such as the lack of seeking preventative or routine check-ups, which in turn has a negative effect on their health and the communities which they live in. Therefore, due to the large Latino population in California, their health has become a public health issue that knows no geographic boundaries.
RESOURCES
Many Community Clinics are already involved in planning efforts at the local level and will be hosting or participating in health related events during BHW. While the clinics are providing on-the-ground services, CPCA is working at the state-wide level to garner support from state representatives and gain media attention for our clinics and the services they provide. Attached are materials to provide additional support to the clinic efforts.
1. Letter to legislators
CPCA sent a letter to all legislators with a list of events throughout the state. We encourage you to use this letter as a template and have your members send it to their representatives.
2. Binational Health Week Fact Sheet
The Fact Sheet is for general educational purposes. The Fact Sheet can be used to craft a letter to your local representative, amended to provide education to patients, or handed out at events.
3. State Wide Op-Ed
CPCA is looking to submit this op-ed in newspaper with statewide circulation. We hope that you will use this op-ed as a template for one that can be tailored for a local audience.
A suggested outline for a local Op-Ed:
• Provide a local example of H1N1 in your community
• Discuss how H1N1 reminds us that health does not have boundaries, and everyone needs to be taken care of.
• Describe what your clinics have done around H1N1 and how your clinic has been pivotal to protecting community health.
• Introduce Binational Health Week and your clinics role.
• Discuss how health events, even at targeted audiences, are beneficial to public health.
• Encourage community members to support these events, and come out if they need health screenings.
State Wide Op-Ed - Spanish
4. Schedule of Events
CPCA has collected the events occurring at community clinics and health centers throughout California during BHW. We provide them as a reference.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
There are no announcements at this time. Please check back for information on Binational Health Week 2010.
CPCA STAFF CONTACT
For more information on Binational Health Week, please contact Aracely Navarro at anavarro@cpca.org.
Copyright ©2005 California Primary Care Association. Contact information and legal disclaimers.
