Greenville News fair links Hispanics to health care

Greenville’s Hispanic community took advantage of free dental check-ups, eye exams and training for Hands-Only CPR at the Hispanic Health and Fun Fair sponsored by The Greenville News on Saturday.

The event brought Greenville’s Hispanics — who often struggle with barriers that limit their access to health care — together with a variety of organizations and providers that can help.

Rut Rivera, Greenville coordinator for PASOs, a statewide nonprofit affiliated with the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health which helps improve health and access to services for Hispanics, said participants learned a lot about how to access health care, obtain insurance coverage, and about health conditions that disproportionately affect Latinos.

For example, compared to Caucasians, Latinos are 80 percent more likely to have diabetes, twice as likely to suffer from asthma, and the infant mortality rate for Latino babies is 30 percent higher, according to Families USA, a national nonprofit health care consumer group.

“People got so much important information,” Rivera said of the fair, which was held at the Westside Aquatic Center. “There was a lot of education. And fun too.”

Partners in the event included the American Heart Association, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, The Blood Connection, Furman United Soccer Club, Greenville County Recreation, the Greenville Free Medical Clinic, Greenville Health System, New Horizon Family Health Services, PASOs, which is sponsored by GHS in Greenville, Safe Kids Upstate, the St. Francis Mobile Dental Unit, the Susan G. Komen Mountains to Midlands Affiliate, and Surgeons for Sight.

Other partners were Activa 103.9 FM radio, which promoted the event on its Saturday morning show Activitate con Martha Lucia, and La Jefa 94.9 FM radio.

And the families who braved the chilly winds to attend found the information valuable and enjoyed the diversions.

In addition to the bilingual health information that was provided, the event offered some fun family activities, such as a soccer match, playground and games, and face painting. And Columbian food was available from Delicias Don Vicente.

The idea for the event grew out of TheGreenville News Unseen Greenville project, which looked at the needs of the hidden Greenville community.

Nearly one in six people living in the U.S. is Hispanic, and one in four lives below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And South Carolina has one of the highest rates of growth of the Latino population.

But Hispanics often work in jobs that don’t offer insurance or if insurance is available, it’s too costly.

They face barriers such as language, cultural differences and sometimes immigration status that make it difficult to access health care. And they’re often afraid they'll lose their jobs if they go to the doctor when they're sick, Rivera said.

In order to improve the health of Hispanics, they need to be linked to a medical home and bilingual services and materials, according to CDC.

Saturday’s fair offered them both opportunities, with PASOs' interpreters helping them get the most out of the event.