Recorded presentation

Eduardo R. Ochoa, MD¹, Elias Robles, PhD², Phillip J. Breen, PhD³, Elaine Bieber, Pharm D⁴, Marsha L Eigenbrodt, MD, MPH¹, and Cesar M. Compadre, PhD³. (1) College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham, Slot 820, Little Rock, AR 72205, 501-364-4363, ochoaeduardor@uams.edu, (2) Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham, Slot 611-1, Little Rock, AR 72205, (3) College of Pharmacy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham, Little Rock, AR 72205, (4) La Casa Health Network, Inc., 6911 Geyer Springs Road, Little Rock, AR 72209

Background: With 337% growth in its Latino population over ten years, Arkansas in general, and Little Rock in particular, have been called “new Latino destinations” by a 2002 Pew Hispanic Center report. Like similar southeast cities, Little Rock is now home to new immigrant populations with risk behaviors, health status and environmental exposures substantially different from traditional Latino communities. Concurrent with this development in Arkansas is availability of tobacco settlement funds for public health activities, including the creation of a College of Public Health. Methodology: University faculty obtained grant funding from the Arkansas Department of Health to assess environmental and other risk factors for Latinos via a community center. The center, La Casa Health Network, has bilingual staff and is located in the heart of an urban Latino community. La Casa is a source of health and social assistance information and conducts surveys, health fairs and health education events. It is the base for a smoke-free coalition and produces weekly Spanish radio shows focused on health promotion. Results: An assessment of the population’s health status, based on a survey of nearly 700 Latinos, revealed 75% had not completed high school, 89% were uninsured, 44% had gone more than five years without a routine medical exam, 36% were currently smoking, higher than the state average (25%), and few smokers were advised to quit in the last year by a health professional (21%). Based on these results, grant applications, promotion of smoke-free restaurants, community-based participatory research and public health student preceptorships are developing La Casa as a public health demonstration site. Discussion: Collaborations are essential to adequately assess health status and develop community-based public health demonstrations and environmental improvement strategies in an era of demographic change, funding challenges and health inequalities.

Learning Objectives: At the session's conclusion, the learner will

• Recognize that Latinos in new growth areas have unique health issues as compared to peers in other areas,
• Discuss how collaboration with a community-based organization can lead to development of a public health demonstration site,
• Describe an example of an environmental improvement that can result from community assessment and action.

Keywords: Latino Health, Community Collaboration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation