ASPIRA recognizes that Latinos disproportionately lack adequate health insurance and that Latinos are one of the highest in the proportion of uninsured.

• efforts to increase coverage to Latino uninsured through state and federal programs, especially a National Campaign to institute Universal Health Care;
• efforts to provide incentives to private employers to provide health insurance to uninsured employees and their families, regardless of the industry in which they work.

ASPIRA supports outreach and enrollment programs that specifically target the Latino community, especially programs operated by community-based organizations.

ASPIRA recognizes the great threat and devastating effects of HIV/AIDS among Latino youth.

• targeted efforts to inform youth and communities about HIV/AIDS in a culturally and linguistically sensitive way;
• quality intervention programs for Latinos with HIV/AIDS.

ASPIRA supports programs that strengthen the role of CBOs in promoting adolescent health and behavioral health, as well as access by adolescents to quality health care.

ASPIRA strongly supports targeted, culturally sensitive, bilingual programs to inform youth about, and to discourage unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles, such as smoking, drugs and alcohol use.

ASPIRA recognizes the enormous disparity in health care provision and supports programs that target improving access to quality health care specifically for Latino families.

• culturally and linguistically sensitive health care environments that is family-centered in which there is effective communication between patients and care providers;

• providing Puerto Rico equal participation and funding on parity with the rest of the states in all federal health programs such as Medicaid, children’s health insurance (CHIPS) and Medicare, among others;
• efforts and programs to inform Latino parents of their rights to become insured under the CHIPS program in their state.

ASPIRA supports a diverse and competent health professions workforce working in Latino communities.