Sen. Leticia Van de Putte hosted a summit on health care disparities in Texas at the Health Science Center.
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Key health issues affecting Texans were at the heart of “Closing the Gap on Health Care Disparities: A State Overview of Texas,” a summit, hosted by Sen. Leticia Van de Putte on the campus of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The June 26 summit brought to the forefront such issues as differences in access to health care and various diseases, including asthma.

Disparity issues
“One of the ways to know about people with disparities is to know how they live,” Sen. Van de Putte said. As a pharmacist, she has witnessed firsthand the devastating affects of health care disparities, particularly among the Hispanic population and those with low income. “It is important to intertwine our health care policy with our education policy.”

President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., said solving health care disparities is a priority at the Health Science Center.

Addressing health care disparities
Solving health care disparities is a priority at the Health Science Center, said President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D. “At the Health Science Center, we have made it a priority to address and find solutions to the disparities in both health care and education for minorities and persons with lower income levels,” he said. “To address this problem, we have secured funding at our campuses throughout South Texas to recruit clinical faculty and scientists to learn the causes and treatments for diseases that particularly affect the South Texas population. Additionally, the Health Science Center was honored to have been the recipient of $5.3 million in grants for an asthma intervention study called the South Texas Asthma Management Program, the first and largest of its kind in the nation.”

Issues in San Antonio
In the keynote address, Fernando A. Guerra, M.D., M.P.H., director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD), discussed disparities which are prevalent in San Antonio, such as access to health care, absence of health insurance, high birth rates to teenage mothers and low income. The SAMHD is in the process of implementing a registry which will identify and track additional issues. This information will provide powerful insight to address disparities.

Hispanics in clinical trials
Rene F. Rodriguez, M.D., president of the Interamerican College of Physicians and Surgeons, added, “We don’t have enough Hispanics in clinical investigations. We want to change that.” One of the ways this is being addressed is through a program that trains and certifies Hispanic doctors to conduct clinical trials.

Panel discussion focuses on asthma
Later in the day, Sen. Van de Putte led a panel discussion on asthma. The other panelists included:

Sharon Petronella, M.S., Ph.D., co-director of Division II: Asthma & Children’s Environmental Health Outreach at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Community Outreach and Education Core at the U.T. Medical Branch.

Pamela Wood, M.D., professor of pediatrics and medical director of asthma education programs at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital.

Robert L. Wilkins, Ph.D., R.R.T., professor and chair of the department of respiratory care.

John Hellerstedt, M.D., medical director of Texas Medicaid and the CHIP Program from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.