By Khalida Sarwari
About four in 10 Hispanics living in Santa Clara County are not covered by a health insurance plan, county officials said Monday.
In an effort to raise awareness about the health needs of the local Hispanic community, the county on Monday kicked off its sixth annual Binational Health Week, a series of health education activities that includes workshops, insurance referrals and medical screenings.
David Figueroa Ortega, Mexico’s consul general in San Jose, spoke about the importance of access to health care at Monday’s opening ceremony, which was also attended by Board of Supervisors President Ken Yeager and Supervisors George Shirakawa and Liz Kniss.
“The good health of one is the good health of all,” Ortega said.
Yeager said the focus of Binational Health Week is to offer preventive services, which will help keep the county’s costs down.
“As the health care provider of last resort, the county bears huge costs in caring for serious illnesses that should have been treated earlier,” Yeager said.
More than 20 activities have been scheduled in Santa Clara County for Binational Health Week, focused on topics such as diabetes, obesity, nutrition and prevention of sexual transmitted diseases.
Activities will continue through Oct. 20.
For more information, visit the county’s website at http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/phd/.