Rochester, N.Y., Coalition Targets Latino Population’s Access to Care

A new coalition of Hispanic groups and health agencies in Rochester, N.Y., is launching an initiative to improve access to health services, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports. The Ibero-American Action League -- funded with a $500,000, three-year grant from BlueCross BlueShield of the Rochester Area, the Rochester Primary Care Network, the Monroe Plan for Medical Care and the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency -- will provide various services to the region's Hispanic community, including a pilot program that has already registered some 60 families for health insurance and an effort to promote available health services. Scott Ellsworth, president of BlueCross BlueShield, said that although Rochester's Hispanic community boasts "one of the highest employment rates for any ethnic group," it also has a uninsurance rate (21%) more than twice the general population's rate (Carter, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 6/25).