The Third Annual Latino Health Summit and Adelante Wellness Expo will take place on April 7-8 at the Doubletree in Reading. This two-day event provides an opportunity for continuing education and networking among the medical community as well as activities, demonstrations, health screenings, and resources for the general public.
On Friday, April 7, the Latino Health Summit will run from 7:30AM until 4:30PM with a full agenda geared to bring together executives and professionals in the areas of healthcare, social services, and public health for engaging professional workshops that share fresh perspectives informed by real-world experience in local communities. This portion of the event is ticketed and has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).
On Saturday, April 8, the Adelante Wellness Expo, which is free and open to everyone, will run from 9:00AM until 1:00PM. Attendees will have access to wellness workshops, fitness activities, healthy food demos, health screenings, dental assessments, and more!
Latino Connection created the Latino Health Summit in 2018, a first-of-its-kind statewide event in Pennsylvania that brings to the forefront a topic that had rarely been discussed at length: Latino health. The goal of these events is to elevate the most pressing issues of the Latino community across Pennsylvania by bringing together influential thought leaders, private and public-sector organizations, and members of the community to grow together in a collaborative and uplifting environment.
Founder and CEO of Latino Connection, George Fernandez, states, “In order to achieve meaningful, lasting change toward better public health, especially among minority populations, it requires long-term commitments to evolve toward diversity and inclusion. This should be a fundamental requirement for healthcare organizations and leaders throughout our community. And it’s precisely what the Latino Health Summit hopes to achieve by creating a space for collaborative discussions and educational opportunities.”
The Latino community is the fastest-growing segment of our population, accounting for more than 50% of the state’s growth in the last 2 decades. By 2040, multicultural segments will represent the majority of the Commonwealth.
Reading was selected as this year’s host city for its dense Latino population; 1 in 4 residents of Berks County is Latino. Additionally, the percentage of adults in Berks County who report their health as fair or poor has increased from 16.0% in 2011–2013 to 19.0% in 2015–2017. In Reading, about 18% of Latinos do not have health insurance, a rate that’s nearly 8% higher than the county average.
The first Latino Health Summit took place in Lancaster in 2018 and then rotated to York in 2019. This is the first time the event will return since COVID-19.
It is expected to host more than 1,000 attendees who will hear from more than 50+ presenters and sponsors on topics such as: COVID Recovery and Lessons Learned, Community Health Work and Other Public Outreach Strategies, Digital Equity, Reproductive Health and Justice, Role of Latinos in Politics, Latino Leadership in Public Health and Healthcare, Physical and Behavioral Health, Infrastructure and Policy, Data, Evaluation, and Research, Plus special keynote speaker, Laurie Hernandez, 2016 2X Olympic Medalist and Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) Champion.
“I’m honored to be a speaker at the third annual Latino Health Summit. We must continue to ensure that Latino people of all ages have access, advocacy, and action to deliver lifetime quality physical and mental healthcare. Our first line of defense is talking about the issues we face as a community. Once those are identified, we can then educate ourselves on the resources available to us with the help of organizations like Latino Connection, because everyone has the right to live a healthy life,” says Laurie Hernandez, 2016 2X Olympic Medalist and Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) Champion.
This event shines a light on an issue that affects over 1,000,000 Pennsylvanians. More information can be found by visiting latinoconnection.org/events/latino-health-summit.
