The Latino Health Equity Conference will provide a forum to focus on individual and community pathways to health through research, programs and policies for Latinos.

This interactive summit will build the path for a Latino Health Initiative with strategies to eliminate health disparities.

The goals will be to:

1. Enhance participants’ understanding of social, economic and political factors that impact health for Latinos.
2. Understand major disease prevention and health promotion challenges facing Latinos locally, nationally and globally and potential solutions to those challenges.
3. Build understanding of culturally appropriate public health practice and research to promote health for Latinos.
4. Develop partnerships between Latino communities and key stakeholders in building community capacity for health through research, education and advocacy.

Conference proceedings will be developed into a white paper which will assist local and national policy and decision makers in establishing funding priorities for Latino health.

Participants will include:

• Community members and community organizations
• Health professionals
• Students
• Educators and researchers
• Local, national and global organizations dedicated to community health
• City, county and state administrators

Keynote Speaker

 Dr. Pastor is Professor of American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. Founding director of the Center for Justice, Tolerance, and Community at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Pastor currently directs the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity at USC and is co-director of USC’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration. Dr. Pastor’s research has generally focused on issues of environmental justice, regional inclusion, and the economic and social conditions facing low-income urban communities. His most recent book, Uncommon Common Ground: Race and America’s Future (W.W. Norton 2010; co-authored with Angela Glover Blackwell and Stewart Kwoh), documents the gap between progress in racial attitudes and racial realities, and offers a new set of strategies for both talking about race and achieving racial equity.

About Familia En Accion

Familias en Acción was founded in 1998 in response to a growing need by the Latino community in the Portland Metro area for a Latino culturally specific community based organization focused on family well-being.

Familias en Acción is a health promotion and advocacy organization dedicated to health equity for Latinos in Oregon and SW Washington. Leadership development and family empowerment are central to the mission and purpose of Familias en Acción. Training is provided to community members and promotores/community health workers building leadership and knowledge of health, family wellness, mental health, health equity and other topics important to healthy family functioning.

In addition to our health promotion programs we work in research partnership with the University of Portland and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). All staff and promotores/community health workers are trained in Community Based Participatory Research.