Press Release

                        

                                
                                

                     
                     

                        
Fresno County Latinos Participate In One Of A Kind Health Care Application and Enrollment Festival

                        

                           

                              
                           

                           

                              
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                Media Contact:
September 23, 2006                                                   Tim Rosales  916-475-4900    

                                                                                               
 Fresno County Latinos Participate In One Of A Kind Health Care Application and Enrollment Festival

FRESNO, CA. (September 23, 2006) – September is Latino Health Awareness Month and HealthyFresno, Sequoia Community Health Centers, Centro La Familia, Todos Unidos, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Consumer Health Care Center and came together to sponsor a unique Latino Health Festival.  This festival, held at Sequoia Community Health Center’s Divisadero clinic is focused on providing the Fresno Latino community with education on access to affordable health care, and eligibility information to include enrollment into state and federal programs.
Most health fairs are focused solely on providing information and heightening awareness.  Today’s unique health festival incorporates those important components, but focuses on assisting those eligible in applying to various local, state, federal and private health care programs.
“One way to help people receive the medical care they need is to make them aware of the opportunity they have to access health care assistance programs,” said Angel Luevano, Executive Director of Todos Unidos. “This innovative partnership led by HealthyFresno is the model of how we all need to present our health care outreach efforts, especially in the Latino community.” 
A recent study found that in Fresno County – where thousands suffer from preventable chronic conditions – the community spends approximately $2 billion dollars every year on chronic diseases.[1]  A significant part of this cost is due to the losses employers experience from absenteeism and reduced productivity resulting from employees’ chronic health problems.
The HealthyFresno program brings together key health care players, community leaders, and dozens of local organizations offering a health, wellness, and disease prevention campaign that encourages Fresno County residents to make better  nutrition and fitness decisions and to identify health issues and risk factors at an early stage.
For more information you can go to www.HealthyFresno.org or www.Espanol.HealthyFresno.org. 
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[1] The Burden of Chronic Disease in Fresno was prepared for America’s Pharmaceutical Companies. For a copy of the full report, visit www.HealthyFresno.org.