Week of health events aimed at Latinos kicks off Saturday
FREE HEALTH SCREENING AND MORE FOR BINATIONAL HEALTH WEEK
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
Mercury News

Binational Health Week kicks off Saturday with a host of health events ranging from a diabetes conference to blood pressure screenings to cancer education programs, all aimed at Latino immigrants in Santa Clara County.

It's the fifth year for this massive, cross-border health education campaign, sponsored by the U.S. and Mexican governments, state and local agencies and non-profit groups. Last year's Binational Health Week was observed in 28 states, the District of Columbia, 28 Mexican states, and three Canadian provinces.
In Santa Clara County, about 9,400 people participated last year. The county is home to an estimated 300,000 documented and undocumented Mexican immigrants, the largest such population north of Los Angeles County, said San Jose-based Mexican Consul General Bruno Figueroa.

"We're talking about a community that doesn't always understand English, about people who do not know the complex health system,'' Figueroa said. "So we focus on how to get health messages directly to the community.''

There are about 415,000 Latinos in Santa Clara County, about a quarter of the population, according to the U.S. Census. They are less likely than other groups to have health insurance or receive routine medical and dental care and are more likely to suffer from diabetes, research has shown. Latinos accounted for about 42 percent of the county's new AIDS cases last year. And in 2004, Latino girls accounted for about about 80 percent of the county's teen births.

Many local events will take place primarily in Spanish at supermarkets and churches, flea markets, universities and schools. Lectures and health screenings will cover diabetes, nutrition and fitness, how to get access to health care and low-cost health insurance, and services for the disabled.

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Binational Health Week events

A week of Santa Clara County events is aimed at Latino immigrants and their families. Most are free.

Saturday. Oct. 7

Taking Control of Your Diabetes: bilingual conference and health fair, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara. Cost: $35

Walk for Healthy Kids, 9 a.m., Horace Mann Elementary School, 55 N. Seventh St., San Jose. Free.

Monday, Oct. 9

Stroke education and blood pressure screenings, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Regional Medical Center of San Jose, 225 N. Jackson Ave. Free.

Tuesday, Oct. 10

Teen workshop on sexually transmitted diseases/HIV prevention, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., 1149 E. Julian St., Building E, Multipurpose room, San Jose. Free.

Eligibility 101 for Immigrant Programs, 10 a.m. to noon, San Jose City College, Room T415 (Technology Building). Free.

Prostate cancer presentation, 6 p.m., Glenview Alliance Neighbors Achieving Success (GANAS) 7425 Eigleberry St., Suite B, Gilroy. Free.