Health    

ABC remains committed to address issues that impact the health of Latinos living in L.A. County, which according to Census data, account for 46% of the population(1).    Generally the health-promoting behavior of recent immigrants can be protective against chronic disease, but the impact of acculturation appears to have a significant impact on the overall health of Latinos living in the U.S.  More than 66% of Latinos are overweight, increasing the predisposition to a host of chronic diseases thus impacting quality of life issues and elevating healthcare costs(2).  ABC will continue developing an agenda that impacts these and other health issues for Latinos to promote a civically engaged populace living in  L.A. County. 

Latino Scorecard Recommendations:
Increase awareness and education about healthy behavior to prevent illnesses like heart disease and diabetes.

LAUSD Student Wellness Policy

ABC has continued to work in the development of student wellness policy in accordance to SB 965 via the Coordinated School Task Force. The policy was drafted by the Coordinated School Task force and later adopted by the School board in late June 2006. The focus of our efforts has now shifted from the drafting of the policy into the implementation and assessment phase.  The Student Wellness policy has created an opportunity to enhance the education of students with aims to include health education. ABC will sustain its efforts to ensure that said policy is implemented to enhance a health promoting lifestyle to help mitigate the escalated numbers of children that are overweight and obese.

Montebello Unified School District Student Wellness Policy

The student wellness policy development for the MUSD continues through our work with the School Nutrition and Education Committee (SNEC) whose purpose is to improve student health and well-being for Montebello Unified students.  Our efforts have focused upon drafting the document, sharing resources and information to enhance the content and implementation of the policy as it moves through school board approval. The committee submitted the entire policy to the MUSD school board in May 2006 for review and it is expected to be signed and implemented by the fall 2006-2007 school year. 

Throughout the development process of the Student Wellness policy, ABC realized a deficiency in parent engagement in the process.  Therefore ABC has begun undertaking the process developing a strategic plan to enhance parent engagement and will   

Ensure L.A. County schools provide better nutrition and physical education programs.

Joint Use

ABC continues to work towards increasing opportunities for physical activity in high density areas of Los Angeles that lack parks and green space.  The alarming rates of obesity and chronic diseases that are increasingly affecting our youth, makes it imperative that recreational space be made available for students in the community.  New school construction throughout the city, has created these opportunities and therefore it is critical for the creation of joint use agreements to harness the potential for physical activity that exist within school yard facilities in the surrounding community.  ABC will continue to work to identify programmatic partners that can enhance these opportunities for our youth and the community at large to address these issues.

Encourage medical school enrollment by funding financial incentives, scholarships and internships.

The depressed rates of Latinos enrolled in medical school (14%)(3) and health professional programs and financial support to increase their enrollment in medical and other health professional schools is alarming, as it relates to the stark deficiency of physicians and other health professionals serving our community.  ABC continues to follow the development of small learning communities to make the creation of a learning environment with an emphasis on health professions a priority. 

ABC is committed to enhancing the educational attainment of Latinos in this area and therefore is aiming to work with Drew University School of Medicine to ensure outreach and educational opportunities in order to increase the numbers of Latinos and other students of color in these fields. 

(1) State of California, Department of Finance, Race/Ethnic Population with Age and Sex Detail, 200-2050. Sacramento, CA, May 2004.

(2)Latino Scorecard 2006. www.unitedwayla.com

(3) Hayes-Bautista, David E., Hsu, Paul; Hayes-Bautista, Maria; Stein, Robert M.;Dowling, Patrick; Beltran, Robret; Villagomez, Juan. 2000. Latino Physician Supply in California: sources, locations, and projections.Academic Medicine, 75(7): 727-736.

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