Title
To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month in the City of Columbus and to recognize the Ohio Hispanic Coalition for the contributions the Promotores de Salud program has made to the healthcare community.
Explanation
WHEREAS, National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed annually beginning on September 15 and ending on October 15. The purpose of the month is to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America; and
WHEREAS, The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Regan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15. September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively, which all fall within the 30 day period; and
WHEREAS, Promotores de Salud are bilingual Community Health Workers who use their language skills to inform, educate, and interpret for Limited English patients and providers; and
WHEREAS, Promotores de Salud are selected because of their commitment to serve their communities by providing peer to peer health education, and by their involvement with the families to ensure that treatment is followed. Some of the duties associated with their work include conducting home visits, follow-up with patients, and providing them with an understanding of medication, and treatments; and
WHEREAS, Hispanic health is often shaped by factors such as language and cultural barriers, lack of access to preventive care and the lack of health insurance; and
WHEREAS; Columbus Public Health understands the need for interpretation services for its non-English speaking clients who visit the Women’s Health Services Clinic, and through the Ohio Hispanic Coalition’s Promotores de Salud program, they can ensure that those seeking health services receive complete healthcare; and
WHEREAS, Ohio Hispanic Coalition is working with myriad communities partners to raise awareness regarding Hispanic health in the community, and they are advocating on the importance of issues that affect the Hispanic Community in the State of Ohio Now therefore ;
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council recognizes the importance of Hispanic Heritage Month and commends the Ohio Hispanic Coalition for their work to advocate on behalf of the Hispanic Community in the State of Ohio.