A select group of colleges and universities were hailed in a new report Wednesday for being the top producers of Latino graduates in the health care field.
Leaders from government, higher education and the private sector said the matter concerns more than just building a diverse workforce, but rather making sure that patients from diverse backgrounds – in this case, Latinos — get the best health care possible.
“We believe that better communication with health care professionals allows the community to get better information to be able to make better decisions, and that leads to better results,” said Russell Bennett, vice president of Latino Health Solutions with United Healthcare.
“When populations are of a different culture or speak a different language, we feel that we must help provide that communication in the right language and right cultural context,” Bennett said.
Bennett made his remarks during a webinar Wednesday for the release of a new report from Excelencia in Education titled “Finding Your Workforce: The Top 25 Institutions Graduating Latinos in Health Care Professions and Related Programs by Academic Level.”
While the report does not deal with issues of quality, it identifies colleges and universities that stand out for the sheer number of certificates and degrees they award to Latino students in the health field.
“These institutions deserve serious consideration from students planning health care careers,” said Bennett, whose organization provides about 200 scholarships a year.
