(Great to see Rep. Solis, one of the most progressive members of Congress, posting here. Come back often! – promoted by dday)
Hello to my friends at Calitics!
The 5th Annual Congressional Tri-Caucus Minority Health Summit will be held this weekend in San Diego. This year’s Summit is being hosted by the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County, with support from The California Endowment and others. At least twelve members of the Congressional Hispanic, Black, and Asian Pacific American Caucuses are scheduled to attend, including Reps. John Conyers (MI-14), Raul Grijalva (AZ-7), and Mike Honda (CA-15).
Five years ago, I conceived the idea of the Tri-Caucus Minority Health Summit as a forum for members of Congress to hear firsthand about the health challenges facing communities of color and innovative solutions to address them. Indeed, the need to reduce health disparities is great. Despite recent gains in health care, disparities related to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status remain prevalent. For example, more than 70% of Latinos across the country are considered overweight or obese, including 25% of Latino children. In 2005, 86% of babies born with HIV and AIDS were of color.
The Summit will cover topics such as SCHIP, homelessness, tobacco cessation, veterans’ health, and HIV/AIDS. It also will include discussion of H.R. 3014, comprehensive, bi-partisan legislation I introduced last week with Congresswomen Donna Christensen (Virgin Islands) and Madeleine Bordallo (Guam) to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. H.R. 3014 has 70 original co-sponsors, including House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (SC-6).
Over 200 people are expected to attend this weekend’s Summit in San Diego. As Chair of the Hispanic Caucus’ Task Force on Health and a member of the House Health Subcommittee, I look forward to hearing from the panelists and attendees and to sharing the information I gather at the Summit with organizations in my district and with my colleagues in Congress.
For more information about the Summit, visit www.ccalac.org.
Congresswoman Hilda Solis
www.house.gov/solis
www.youtube.com/rephildasolis