Dialogue on Diversity, a national community-based organization dedicated to celebrating diversity and promoting economic empowerment and entrepreneurship for Latinas and other ethnic groups, honored Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) at its annual health care symposium hosted by the American Federation of Teachers for her “unwavering leadership in ensuring high quality healthcare for all Americans.”
“To be presented with this award from Dialogue on Diversity is especially meaningful because of the important role your organization plays in bringing together women from different backgrounds and cultures, to dialogue about the challenges they face, and to exchange meaningful ideas on how best to promote political advocacy and managerial excellence so women here and around the globe can reach their full potential,” said Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, a senior member of the Appropriations Health Subcommittee and Chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Care Task Force.
Ma. Cristina Caballero, President of Dialogue on Diversity, thanked the congresswoman and the other speakers who participated in the symposium for helping to shed light on various health care policy issues of concern to minority businesswomen and entrepreneurs.
"Minority communities are the last to be heard with regard to health care access because they don't get the information they need through their networks," Ma. Cristina Caballero, President of Dialogue on Diversity, said. "The symposium was designed to clarify misconceptions about health care reform. This is a very important topic for our membership because many small business owners struggle to obtain health care coverage for themselves and their employees."
Congresswoman Roybal-Allard thanked the audience of health care providers and advocates for the critical role they played in the months and days leading up to the final passage into law of health care reform last year.
“As Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Task Force, I assure you your support was critical to helping us win our fight to include provisions in the health care reform bill that are essential to successfully addressing the health needs of women and our minority communities,” Congresswoman Roybal-Allard said. “Since then, in this new political climate in which so many of my colleagues are determined to eliminate the benefits we fought so hard to obtain, members of Congress are relying on your voices to dispel the myths about health care reform and to educate communities about the benefits it provides. In other words, take this DIALOGUE back home to expand and strengthen the advocacy we need to ensure the continued implementation and future success of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”
For the first time, health care reform includes provisions to reduce many of the persistent health disparities that have resulted in poorer health and quality of life for communities of color. The new law helps to increase the affordability and availability of preventive health screenings, and deliver care that is culturally and linguistically competent.
The health care reform law: strengthens cultural competency training among health care providers; increases the diversity and capacity of the health care workforce; makes language services a priority at all points of health care access; and advances data collection and research to identify and eliminate health disparities for racial and ethnic minorities, women, and other underserved populations. To ensure these goals are met, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through its Office of Minority Health has developed a national stakeholder strategy for implementation.
Founded 21 years ago, Dialogue on Diversity works to foster increased economic empowerment for Latinas and other ethnic groups through the promotion and development of entrepreneurial excellence, programs, technology training, networking, and education. Dialogue on Diversity presented a workshop on women's entrepreneurship as part of the Non-Governmental Organization conference held in conjunction with the United Nations 1991 Fourth World Conference on women in Beijing. Dialogue on Diversity offers conferences, seminars, internships, and annual leadership award recognitions as part of its larger program of entrepreneurship training and international exchange.
