2018 - 2019 Government Affairs ActivationsMarch 2019Sen. Udall, Senate Leaders Introduce Bill to Ban Chlorpyrifos Nationwide Legislation endorsed by the NHMA Washington, DC – A day after President Trump’s EPA once again argued for delaying its own ban of chlorpyrifos in court, Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced the Protect Children, Families and Farmworkers from Nerve Agent Pesticides Act, legislation that would ban the dangerous chemical. Earthjustice, the environmental law organization representing labor leaders, farmworker communities, and environmental activists in litigation against the EPA on its lack of commitment to protecting people from chlorpyrifos, announced its support for Sen. Udall’s bill. Chlorpyrifos is a widely-used agricultural pesticide linked to reduced IQ, attention deficit disorder and other developmental damage in children. Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate that comes from the same chemical family as sarin nerve gas, is used on staple foods, such as strawberries, apples, citrus, broccoli, and more. Weeks after former EPA boss Scott Pruitt met with the head of the largest manufacturer of chlorpyrifos, Dow Chemical, Pruitt falsely claimed in 2017 the science is “unresolved” and decided EPA would study the issue until 2022.
This week, in oral arguments before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Earthjustice attorney Patti Goldman argued for faster action on a nationwide ban, contending that EPA continues to sit on administrative objections to its approach to chlorpyrifos. “The Trump Administration is fighting tooth and nail for a pesticide EPA’s own scientists found unsafe to children,” Goldman said. “Make no mistake, chlorpyrifos in our food means children are needlessly eating, drinking and breathing this dreadful pesticide.” More: What You Need to Know about Chlorpyrifos December 2018NHMA Submitted the following comment regarding the proposed rule change to the Public Charge. The National Hispanic Medical Association, representing 50,000 Hispanic physicians, strongly opposes the Public Since 1892, federal immigration law has had a “public charge” test that makes immigrants ineligible for entry to The Trump Administration is now calling for healthcare and other benefits that meet basic needs to be considered The proposal has already made immigrant families afraid to use programs that are essential to their health and The National Hispanic Medical Association urges the Department of Homeland Security to renounce this August 2018National Hispanic Medical Association Decries Trump Administration Weakening of Clean Cars Standards, Highlights Negative Impact of Rollback on Latino Communities Today, Dr. Elena Rios, President of the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), released the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s decision to roll back America’s clean car standards, and highlighted the negative impacts that this misguided decision could have on Hispanic communities: “President Trump, EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, and acting NHTSA Administrator Heidi King are rolling back protections that Hispanic communities depend on. Rolling back the clean car standards will make our air more polluted and will force drivers into dirtier, less-efficient vehicles that are more expensive to drive. Cleaner, more efficient vehicles reduce dangerous tailpipe pollution, helping to prevent harmful health impacts like asthma attacks and heart disease that disproportionately affect our communities, who often live in neighborhoods with higher levels of harmful air pollution.” “Furthermore, these standards are saving Americans money to the tune of $60 billion and counting. Hispanics and low- and middle-income families will be hit hard if the fuel economy standards set to save them money on gasoline are taken away. By dismantling protections like clean car standards, the Trump administration is failing our communities families.” June 2018CALL TO ACTION: Unlawful & Immoral Family Separations & What Can You Do? NHMA is against this dangerous, illegal and immoral practice of family separations. The uncertainty over immigration, as well as practices currently in place including the border separation of children from their parents/caregivers, have a dangerous impact on the mental, physical and emotional well-being of our communities. While Latinos show similar rates of mental illness as other racial and ethnic groups, their access to care and quality of treatment is much poorer. Additionally, Latinos seek treatment less frequently, whether that be because of language barriers, legal status, social stigma or lack of health insurance. Mental health conditions contribute greatly to how a person then cares for their physical well-being. People with serious mental health conditions have been shown to have higher incidences of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes. A chronic, serious mental illness can significantly shorten life expectancy. Latinos struggling with mental illness should reach out to a health care provider, and physicians should strive to be well-versed in cultural and linguistically appropriate treatment of the Hispanic population.
CALL TO ACTION: Vote “NO” on “Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018” (H.R. 6136) and “Securing America’s Future Act of 2018” (H.R. 4760) NHMA urges Members of Congress to oppose both Speaker Ryan’s “Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018” and Representative Goodlatte’s “Securing America’s Future Act of 2018” ( H.R. 4760). Both bills hold Dreamers hostage in return for provisions that would upend our immigration system and betray American values. Speaker Ryan’s “Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018” pairs Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) provisions with severe cuts to legal immigration, policies that undermine vital protections for vulnerable populations, and dramatic increases in funding for immigration enforcement. Among other provisions, the current bill would:
Representative Goodlatte’s “Securing America’s Future Act of 2018”( H.R. 4760) is an anti-immigrant wish list that slashes legal immigration to untenably low levels, mandates unnecessary and harsh enforcement tactics, creates millions of criminals out of thin air by making unlawful presence a crime, and seems focused on excluding the largest number of Dreamers from the very few weak protections it claims to provide. Among other provisions, the bill would:
Please call your member of Congress (click here and type in your zip code to find your Representative and their contact information and click here to find your Senator) and urge your representatives to provide our communities with a clear and dignified path to citizenship and NHMA opposes House farm bill set for a second vote Friday, June 22, 2018. It would cut millions of Americans’ SNAP benefits. The House will vote on a farm bill for the second time in just over a month on Friday after it was defeated in May by a margin of 213-198. The farm bill comes to a vote every 5 years, with this year’s version increasing work requirements for eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps. This would ultimately reduce or terminate SNAP benefits altogether for millions of people, including many Latinos. According to the most recent Census data, 19% of Latino households lack adequate food, compared to 13% in the overall population. The benefits of SNAP for the Latino community are tremendous. The USDA and the Census Bureau estimate that around 10 million Latinos are able to put sufficient food on the table each month because of SNAP benefits. SNAP raised around 2.5 million Latinos, almost half of them children, above the poverty level in 2015. Latinos account for over 20% of all SNAP participants in the U.S. This population would, therefore, be disproportionately affected if SNAP benefits were to be taken away or made nearly impossible to qualify for. The House farm bill aims to increase work requirements for SNAP. The opposition argues that only around 8% of SNAP participants are able-bodied adults, while the rest are children, seniors, people with disabilities and adult caretakers. Of those able-bodied adults, research has shown that around 25% of them already work while receiving benefits, and almost 75% worked either the year before or the year after they received SNAP benefits. The health of Latinos is at risk if the House farm bill is enacted. SNAP benefits allow for healthier food to be purchased. SNAP has been associated with better health outcomes, as food insecurity is linked to reduced ability to manage illness. Food insecurity also results in higher costs of health care. Studies have shown that increased food insecurity is correlated with more chronic illnesses, less adherence to medications, and more emergency room visits. A Senate-proposed bipartisan farm bill was approved by the Senate Agricultural Committee on June 13th and is expected to be brought before the full Senate before the July 4th recess. The Senate farm bill extends SNAP, a key difference between the 2 bills. Included in the bill is permanent funding for farmer’s markets, another way to get healthy food onto the tables of low-income SNAP participants. The House and Senate must reach a negotiation by the end of September, when the current farm bill will expire. Please call your member of Congress (click here and type in your zip code to find your Representative and their contact information) and encourage them to vote no to the House farm bill (H.R 2). May 2018NHMA Participates as a panelist in House Committee on Natural Resources hosted Roundtable Discussion Dr. Rios served as a participant in a routable discussion on the intersection of environmental and conservation policy and public health for our communities. Dr. Rios spoke on the disproportionate impacts of air pollutants on respiratory health of Latinos and the importance of public lands, parks and other accessible green spaces for not only our communities’ physical health, but also their mental health. The briefing was widely attended by committee staff from the House Committee on Natural Resources, Congressional staffers and Congresswoman Nanette D. Barrágan & Ranking Member Raul Grijalva. Comments on the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) proposed new structure submitted by the Minority Physicians Alliance. The Minority Physicians Alliance represents a coalition of five minority medical organizations – the Association of American Indian Physicians, the Association of Black Cardiologists, the Council of Asian and Pacific Islander Physicians, the National Hispanic Medical Association, and the National Medical Association who are all committed to health equity in the United States especially by reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. The Alliance strongly supports the vision of the NIHMD – to raise national awareness about the prevalence and impact of health disparities and disseminate effective individual-, community- and population-level interventions to reduce and encourage elimination of health disparities. We agree that the NIHMD restructuring is designed to streamline specific functions, areas of operations, and roles and responsibilities to maximize productivity and increase efficiency and timeliness of these operating areas: research, science policy and planning, communications, and administrative services. We recognize the importance of integrating administrative functions (data management) of the current structure and expanding the other areas of the new Administrative structure (Administration, Communications, Extramural Research Administration, and Policy, Legislative and Data Management). Given the underrepresentation of our member physicians and scientists in biomedical, health services and community health research, we urge the expansion of research training that increases diversity among the health disparity researchers that goes We recognize that the Research Training function is critical and should be expanded to all the following new areas of focus of research activity in the new NIHMD structure:
In summary, the Minority Physicians Alliance supports the new NIHMD structure because it will promote more effective research activities that we believe will improve the critical knowledge about strategies to increase health equity and to improve the health of all Americans. April 2018Please join the National Hispanic Medical Association in advocating for the following that impact Hispanic health:
Dr. Elena Rios, NHMA President & CEO, along with the Association of American Medical Colleges and FamiliesUSA, worked on Title III, Health Care Workforce Diversity, to ensure that there are programs in place that help our communities be able to attend a terminal health care degree program and for our families to be able to receive cultural and linguistically competent care.
Please contact your representative today and (Click here to find your Senator and Click here to find your Representative) February 2018National Hispanic Medical Association Announces Recommendations for Cardiovascular Disease and Hispanics Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death among Hispanics. Unfortunately, there’s a significant void in the knowledge base of the physician and patient advocacy community about cardiovascular disease diagnosis, access to care, and health care workforce training related to Hispanic populations. As such, there is a critical need to raise awareness about these issues to improve the future health of the Hispanic population in the United States. In 2017, the National Hispanic Medical Association convened a Summit Series to increase awareness of: cardiovascular disease prevalence, prevention and diagnosis in the Hispanic/Latino community; access issues pertaining to CVD healthcare services; and education and advocacy for health care professionals and patients. The Summit Series was part of NHMA’s broader effort to increase health equity among Hispanics. We were proud to welcome legislators at all three Summits to set the stage for a compelling dialogue with opening remarks, and share the important work related to their constituencies. It was an honor to welcome:
If you missed the Summit, you can download the final presentation decks click Here. NHMA developed and issued a comprehensive final report that shares key issues and recommendations to improve Hispanic/Latino health and access to care. |