California Advocates Garner Support for Stronger Data Collection in Latinx and Indigenous Communities

July 07, 2023

Read more at State of Reform…

Disaggregated data collection will allow for greater understanding of a specific population’s health needs. For example, Cambodian adults experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at 20 times the rate of the general public, and many Southeast Asian women are at greater risk for certain types of cancer.

With the diversity of the Latinx and Indigenous communities, language can be a barrier, particularly since it’s often assumed that Hispanic, Latinx, and Indigenous communities are fluent in Spanish when that isn’t always the case.

“We know that when our community [doesn’t] speak Spanish, or they speak Spanish very little and they don’t get provided with Indigenous interpreters, it can create a lot more problems down the road.”— Eulogio Espinoza, interpretive coordinator at Centro Binacional Para el Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO)

Dr. Seciah Aquino, executive director of LCHC, said that unless the state is being intentional about the data they collect, disparities will continue to be concealed, as will key information that can save lives. She said SB 435 came to life through community partnerships such as CBDIO, Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo, and the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project.