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U.S. HEALTH DEPT. ANNOUNCES TO LAUNCH BILINGUAL INFORMATION CAMPAIGN DURING CLOSING CEREMONY AT USHCC CONVENTION
By José Luis Castillo Castro Atlanta,
Sept 24 (EFE).- Secretary of Health Tommy Thompson is set
to launch a bilingual information campaign next year that will
include the dissemination of Spanish-language pamphlets and other
literature explaining Medicare and Medicaid. Hispanics, Thompson noted, are the U.S. minority most at risk of developing diabetes and need to be informed of the importance of eating healthy meals and exercising at least 30 minutes a day. He also noted that there exists a low percentage of staff in the health arena, and that a reduction of donated organs has been recorded in the country. Thompson recommended that the people in attendance encourage young people to finish high school and go on to a career in the health arena. He added that parents and community leaders can help reduce the high percentage of high school dropouts among minority students. On another note, the Health Secretary mentioned that one out of four Americans will speak Spanish in the next 25 years. "Spanish is one of the most beautiful languages that exists on the planet," he said. Roy Barnes is Thankful for Convention Attendance
Barnes also stressed the growing importance of Georgia's Hispanic population, which has jumped some 300 percent over the past decade, according to the Census Bureau. During the ceremony, Elizabeth Lisboa-Farrow, President of the General Assembly of the USHCC, received special recognition by the Puerto Rican government. Jane Lee Garcia, President of the USHCC Foundation, awarded youth that participated in the Business Fair, that was held during the convention, in which close to 100 students of this country and of Spain participated. Other participants during the Closing Ceremony were Ralph de la Vega, President Broadband Access BellSouth Corporation; Roderick D. Gillum, Vice President, Corporate Relations of Diversity at General Motors Corporation; Jerry Schiedt, Vice President, Purchasing Miller Brewing Company and Sara Gonzales, President of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, among others. George Herrera, President of the USHCC, concluded the ceremony by asking everyone to attend the next convention that will be held in Los Angeles in 2002. The
Convention, attended by corporations and businesses in the United
States, The
U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of
more than 1.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United
States and Puerto Rico, which earn more than $200 billion annually.EFE |
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