Who is Alianza?
The Latino Community Fund is an organization that encourages new leaders, supports community-based and cultural nonprofit organizations, and helps improve the quality of life for all Washingtonians.
Our vision is a vibrant and civically engaged Latino community in Washington. Latino Community Fund of Washington identifies, shares, and advocates for what works in the Latino community.
Alianza is a youth leadership program developed under the Latino Community Fund. This program allows young leaders to connect and build their leadership potential through training, and resources provided.
Why did we decide to do this Blog post and event?
Upon discussing the issues we see in our community and engaging in a presentation from Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA), as a group, we decided that access to healthcare affects a significant percentage of our undocumented community.
Not many resources are available for undocumented families to access a healthcare professional. Many factors come into play, including language barriers and thus lack of information…
That is why we decided to organize this event, to bring together communities and share resources. To let community members know they are not alone and that there are organizations (like Alianza) ready to help and provide the support they need.
Undocumented Communities and Healthcare Access
Health equity can be defined as the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to receive the highest level of health regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, etc.
In 1987 the Health Care Access Act created Washington Basic Health. This program was specific to Washington and allowed low-income individuals and families access to essential healthcare services. It was a way to help those that did not qualify for Medicaid but still could not afford private health insurance. Since then, there has been funding that has allowed more programs to be created and help support communities. However, many programs take years to become available and others require much more funding to move forward. Over 100 organizations have begun the Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign to bring equity in access to healthcare.
Undocumented communities are more likely to be uninsured. In Washington State, there are over 100k people that are both uninsured and undocumented. About 46% of these undocumented communities identify as Hispanic/Latinx and about 37% as AAPI. Furthermore, there are existing federal restrictions that limit affordable health coverage options for undocumented individuals.
For more information and to learn more about programs Washington residents are able to use, including residents with different immigration statuses visit NoHLA’s website, and visit their Know Your Rights training webpage.
Washington Environmental Health Disparities Map
Although obtaining healthcare and understanding how to enroll in a healthcare plan is essential to better life quality and access to medical treatment, having a general understanding and some knowledge of health disparities in your community, is a great way to keep track of your health and those of your loved ones. While accessing the map, you can personally see areas of high pollution, environmental disparities, health disparities, and hazardous work sites. It is imperative that members of the communities we live in get to live, work, and play in areas that provide clean water, clean air, and clean environments. Included is a link to the interactive map. Please access the map and explore the area you live in to see what health and environmental disparities impact you and individuals around you today.
https://nohla.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/LCF-Brochure-de-Recursos.pdf
-The Alianza Youth Leadership Cohort of 2023
