National Latino
Physician Day!
October 1st!
¡Día Nacional de los Médicos Latinos!
Primero de Octubre
Follow NLPD!
NLPD Mission Statement:
To address the Latino physician shortage crisis, the mission of National Latino Physician Day is to improve the quality of care for the United States Latino patient population by increasing the number of Latino physicians who provide culturally and linguistically concordant care.
6% is not enough.
#nationallatinophysicianday
#nationallatinaphysicianday
#nationallatinxphysicianday
Did you know that only 6% of physicians are Latino or Latina in the United States, despite the country being made up of 19% Latino? California has an even higher Latino population reaching 40% with further increases projected to 50% by the year 2050. There are significant health care barriers, inequalities, and poorer outcomes in the Latino/Hispanic population. Having Latinos better represented in medicine is necessary for our communities and for the future of medicine in the United States.
Help us create awareness of this crisis and the need for more Latino and Latina Doctors by helping us celebrate National Latino Physician Day (NLPD) across the country on October 1st!
Advocacy
Designating National Latino Physician Day:
Assembly Concurrent Resolution 128 (2023 - 2024)
California Latino and Latina Physician Day
Introduced by Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula
https://legiscan.com/CA/text/ACR128/id/2892297
United State Congress Resolution 734 (2023 - 2024)
Introduced by Dr. Raul Ruiz and Dr. Yadira Caraveo
https://legiscan.com/US/text/HR734/2023
United States Senate 389 (2023 - 2024)
Introduced by Senator Alex Padilla and Senator John Cornyn
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-resolution/389/all-actions
• NLPD efforts presented in the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Hearing: "What Can Congress Do to Address the Severe Shortage of Minority Health Care Professionals and the Maternal Health Crisis?"
Please download Dr. Michael Galvez Testimony here. Please watch the testimony here.
• Scientific American 2024: “To Diversify Medicine Post–Affirmative Action, Look to Community Colleges”
Proclamations
2023:
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Santa Clara County, California (Dr. Lee Anna Botkin, Dr. Judith Sanchez, Dr. Rachel Ruiz, Leilani Jones)
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San Jose (Dr. Antonia Zazueta Charles)
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Bell Gardens (Dr. Mariela Garcia)
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Jurupa Valley (Dr. Veronica Contreras)
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Maywood, California (Dr. Mariela Garcia)
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Pasadena, California (Dr. Connie Casillas)
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Orange County, California (Dr. Jose Mayorga)
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Irvine, California (Dr. Lourdes González Bahamonde)
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Rockford, Illinois (Dr. Emma Olivera)
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Chicago, Illinois (Dr. Emma Olivera)
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Peoria, Illinois (Karina Favela)
2024:
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Miami, Florida (Dr. Lorena Bonilla)
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Coachella, California (Dr. Mariela Magana Ceballos)
2024 Media
NPR: The Pulse: Bridging the Gaps for Latino Health
https://whyy.org/episodes/bridging-the-gaps-for-latino-health/
United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Full Committee Hearing. Chairmen: Bernie Sanders, Ranking Member: Bill Cassidy National Latino Physician Day Testimony
Lawmakers and Medical Professionals testify on Minority and Maternal Health Care
Doctors of color call on Congress to help address minority physician shortage
https://www.yahoo.com/news/doctors-color-call-congress-help-215557175.html
AHA urges Senate committee to support federal programs promoting workforce diversity, maternal health
CalHealthCares loan repayment program earns praise at congressional hearing for addressing provider shortages in underserved areas
Panel Addresses Minority Physician Shortage, Maternal Health at Senate Committee Hearing
Q&A with Michael Galvez, MD, Creator of National Latino Physician Day
Pride in the Profession Award Cesar Padilla, MD
https://amafoundation.org/leaders-in-health-care-recognized-for-service/
Bridging the health gap: Empowering Latino communities for a healthier future
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - The healthcare workforce is diversifying — which will save lives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7zKJasXGZs&t=76s
Castle Connolly Releases 2024 Castle Connolly Top Hispanic & Latino Doctors
Announcing the 2024 Castle Connolly Top Hispanic & Latino Doctors
https://www.castleconnolly.com/top-hispanic-latino-doctors
California’s Surgeon General on Maternal Health, Cultural Competency, and Closing the Care Gap for Latinos
Des Moines University medical student hopes to inspire diversity in health care
2024 Univision NLPD Commercial
https://youtu.be/k1Tz_s7KeYQ?si=lvnsxh1oYxfwoRxH
American Academic of Pediatrics: APP Voices Blog: National Latinx Physicians Day. By Dr. Amna Khan
https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/aap-voices/national-latinx-physicians-day/
South Bay health officials celebrate contributions of Hispanic physicians while pointing out shortage
Condado Santa Clara busca aumentar el número de médicos latinos
Expressing support for the designation of October 1, 2024, as "National Latino Physician Day"
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/1502?s=4&r=2
On National Latino Physician Day, Focus on Bridging the Digital Divide
Hispanic American Underrepresentation in Medicine
https://www.hercampus.com/school/sbu/hispanic-american-underrepresentation-in-medicine/
Celebrating National Latino/a Physician Day 2024: Honoring the Steps Forward and the Road to Come
AB2080: Valley legislators push bills to ease nursing shortage. Will Gov. Newsom sign them into law?
Governor Newsom issues legislative update 9.28.24
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/09/28/governor-newsom-issues-legislative-update-9-28-24/
La NHMA impulsa la diversidad médica y celebra a los médicos latinos
Upstate NY needs more Latinx physicians
Dr. Caraveo Honors Latino Physicians with Bipartisan Congressional Resolution
Watch Congresswoman Caraveo’s video remarks on the resolution here.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M5EerzoaV9LUYGz5GPXgQYvzVAHjvMth/view?usp=sharing
Bridging the Gap: Advocating for More Latinx Physicians
https://healthier.stanfordchildrens.org/en/advocating-for-more-latinx-physicians/
National Latino Physician Day addresses need for more Latino doctors
CMA celebrates National Latino Physician Day
We Are Iowa: Bringing awareness to National Latino Physician Day
Celebrating a Groundbreaking Milestone: California Latino and Latina Physician Day!
Doctor’s Decades of Work on Display in National Latino Physician Day
https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/doctors-decades-of-work-on-display/
Oct. 1 is National Latino Physicians Day - Highlighting the Critical Shortage of Latino and Latina Physicians across the United States
Action Items
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
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Design and wear a T-shirt! Create awareness by creating a T-shirt for your organization and local community. More information to come on our website for available T-shirts.
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Share information about NLPD! Share this document with your friends or colleagues that are Latino/a/x physicians or surgeons, allies, and share this with your hospital/group.
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Ask your organization to endorse NLPD. Ask your hospital, physician group or organization to join us by officially recognizing NLPD on October 1st. Organizations can endorse NLPD through a press release, donation, Grand Rounds dedicated to NLPD, sponsoring NLPD swag (shirts, etc.), and various other ways to promote the day. Let us know if your organization has officially endorsed NLPD and we will celebrate them by adding them to the official list.
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Post on social media! Create awareness about the day! Post a selfie or photo of you and your friends/family! Post a video about why this date is important to you! Tag others that you think would be interested, please include us and we will also promote. Us the hashtags: #nationallatinophysicianday #nationallatinaphysicianday
#nationallatinxphysicianday
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Celebrate on October 1st! Celebrate by creating a local event/gathering, involve your local media outlets, create a news release about your event, involve marketing, and post on social media.
CONTACT
We need this day to celebrate and to highlight the fact that we need more Latino doctors! Help us make a difference for our community.
Email us at:
nationallatinophysicianday@gmail.com
Michael G. Galvez, MD FACS
Cesar R. Padilla, MD