Update November 2, 2009 

Minority Health Disparity Forum held at HACU’s Annual Conference

National experts discussed healthcare reform, with a special focus on minority health disparities, at HACU’s Annual Conference. Dr. Rajiv Shah, M.D., Chief Scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Under Secretary of Research, Education and Economics was a guest speaker at the health forum discussion on Monday, November 2, 3:30-5:00 p.m. at Disney Coronado Springs Resort, Walt Disney World®, FL.

Congresswoman Donna Christensen; Dr. Valerie Romero-Leggott, Vice President for Diversity at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center; and Dr. Jaime Plá, President of the Puerto Rico Hospital Association, were also panelists at the forum.

The Minority Health Disparities Forum provided perspectives from policy makers, health care delivery experts and other specialists from the health care field on the proposed health care legislation and its impact on minority communities and the institutions that serve them. Hispanics, who now number over 45 million, are at the heart of the health care debates, since they continue to experience significant and serious health disparities, e.g. higher rates of diabetes, and are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured.