Spanish-Language Media Company Univision, Partners Launch Health Campaign Aimed at Hispanics
Univision, the nation's leading Spanish-speaking media company, along with the Kaiser Family Foundation and other health groups, on Wednesday launched a five-year campaign to educate Hispanics about preventing health issues, the AP/Dallas Morning News reports. According to Jorge Daboub, vice president of marketing for the Univision Group, the campaign will focus on disease information, healthy lifestyles and access to care (Carey, AP/Dallas Morning News, 11/19). Specifically, the campaign will address asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, sexual health, immunization, prenatal care, tobacco cessation, obesity and nutrition (Univision release, 11/19). As part of the campaign, celebrities and health experts will appear in public service announcements and on news and health programs on the Univision Network, which is available to 97% of Hispanics living in the United States. Aliza Lifshitz, who hosts a Univision television program on health-related issues, also will host a one-hour national call-in radio show on health care. People who call into the show will be directed to local clinics that treat patients for free or for a reduced cost, Lifshitz said. She added, "This is an initiative that goes beyond entertainment and is giving back to the community." Univision also will make available health information on its Web site. Hispanics are 30% more likely than other ethnic groups to lack a primary care provider, according to the National Center for Health Statistics; about one-third of Hispanics in the United States lack health coverage, more than any other group, according to the U.S. Census (AP/Dallas Morning News, 11/19). Matt James, a Kaiser Family Foundation senior vice president, said, "Our studies have shown that Hispanics get a significant amount of health information from the media, including 54% who say they get their health information through television. Therefore, we're confident that Univision's expanded Health Initiative will reach millions of Hispanics, helping them to increase access to care and be better informed about critical health issues." Reps. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas), Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) also participated in the news conference to launch the campaign (Univision release, 11/19).
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