24 Apr New report looks at the health of the Latinx Community in south central Wisconsin
South central Wisconsin’s Latinx population is young and rapidly growing, according to Nuestra Comunidad, Nuestro Futuro (pdf), a new report released by the Carbone Cancer Center’s Cancer Health Disparities Initiative (CHDI).
The report describes community assets and needs, how they impact health, and ways to support improved health and reduce the risk of disease. CHDI collaborated with Latinx serving organizations across a 20-county region and used available data and interviews to prepare the report.
“This is a community of family-oriented Wisconsinites with unique strengths and strong interpersonal relationships,” says Dr. Patricia Tellez-Giron, professor of family medicine and a contributor to the report. “At the same time, they face challenges that need to be addressed so that everyone can be as healthy as possible.”
Latinx community strengths include child-centered families, strong interpersonal relationships and a network of culturally relevant gathering places, activities and organizations. While 75% of the Latinx community are employed, a key challenge is that over 40% hold poverty-wage jobs and half of those have no health benefits. Additional challenges are the lack of adequate transportation, affordable childcare and access to primary care. Read more …