The Hispanic/Latino population in the Southeastern United States is growing exponentially. Nowhere is this growth more apparent than in the state of Georgia. In 2004, Georgia had the fastest growing Latino population and with this increased growth has come an increased awareness of the health concerns and challenges facing the community and those who serve it. Despite the increased awareness, there exists no comprehensive document that details the health needs of the Latino community or how best to reach and serve this ever growing population.
In 2005, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), with the support of the Healthcare Georgia Foundation, launched the Georgia Latino/Hispanic Health Agenda and Leadership Project. The project has two aims: to document the most pressing health needs of the Hispanic community and methods that address these identified needs and to work with established organizations to increase their capacity to advocate for changes in healthcare policy and programs.
The Georgia Latino/Hispanic Health Agenda and Leadership Project is a collaboration between Georgia’s Latino health experts and NCLR. NCLR will bring together the leading Latino health experts from throughout Georgia to develop content and provide editorial oversight of the document Health Agenda. In addition, NCLR will conduct interviews with others who have an interest in Latino health and collect Georgia-specific health information from state and national databases to inform the Health Agenda.
Based on the input of Georgia’s health leaders and the information collected by NCLR, a series of fact sheets and a comprehensive Health Agenda will highlight the health needs of Georgia’s Latino community. Once completed, the Health Agenda will serve as a resource to Georgia residents who wish to learn more about the needs of the Latino community and how to effectively address these needs and the needs of the organizations that serve them. The Health Agenda will be distributed throughout Georgia upon completion in February 2006.
The second phase of the Project will focus on increasing the capacity of Latino community-based organizations to advocate for healthcare changes in their local communities. Organizations that emphasize healthcare will receive technical assistance from NCLR or its partners to increase their ability to speak to the needs of the Latino community. By working with Latino community-based organization, NCLR aims to increase the community’s capacity to serve as statewide advocates and resources on Latino/Hispanic health.
The outcomes of the Georgia Latino/Hispanic Health Agenda and Leadership Project will become an important resource for those in Georgia working with the Hispanic population and can serve as a model for other states in the Southeast with growing Hispanic populations that wish to comprehensively document the health needs of their Hispanic community.
