Latino Health Status in Wake of Hurricane Katrina

The National Council of La Raza and Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine hosted a roundtable discussion Friday, January 19, to discuss Latino health status in the Gulf South region following Hurricane Katrina.

A series of independent reports have documented various failures of the emergency response system to address the needs of the estimated 200,000 Latinos in the Gulf Coast regions before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. Adequate warnings of the storm and evacuation information didn't reach many non-English speakers; access to critical safety-net benefits were denied to Hispanic victims due to policy failures and confusion in implementation; and Latino families returning home to the area and workers entering the region to assist in rebuilding are exposed to occupational safety and health threats and experience discrimination.



Participants included:
Andrea Bazan-Manson, moderator
President
Triangle Community Foundation

Garth Graham
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Janet Murguia
President and CEO
National Council of La Raza

Pierre Buekens
Dean
Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

Shaula Lovera
Director
Latino Health Access Network
Catholic Charities

Frederique Jacquerioz
Clinical Assistant Professor of Public Health
Tulane University

Gina Lutz
Coordinator
Latino Health Outreach Project
Common Ground Health Clinic