Congressional Hispanic Caucus Statement on Minority Health Month

WASHINGTON— Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) issued the following statement to mark April as Minority Health Month:

"This Minority Health Month, the United States and our international partners are confronting an unprecedented global pandemic. COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, is exposing every inequality in our society, from economic insecurity to disparities in our health systems. It is already clear that Latino communities and other communities of color are bearing the brunt of this crisis. According to a recent study, just 16-percent of Latinos are able to work from home, which means that the vast majority are currently out of a job or risking their health to work through this crisis as essential employees, showing up to work every day as farmworkers, grocery store employees, and health care workers.

"Even in ordinary circumstances, Latinos have unequal access to health care, but during this crisis many immigrant and mixed-status families are being left out of emergency aid and services like access to free Coronavirus testing. This crisis is also exposing the serious need for culturally and linguistically competent health services and resources for all, as the federal government took weeks to release equivalent resources on the basics of the coronavirus in Spanish and other languages. Latinos also experience unique health challenges due to systemic inequalities and increased prevalence of issues like diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular problems, and other challenges that may leave them especially vulnerable during this health crisis.

"It shouldn't take a global pandemic for our country to close these gaps and ensure that communities of color have the health resources they need. As we mark this Minority Health Month, we must commit to the health and well-being of every community."

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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.