Health and Education Issues Facing Chicanos in California
Linda Fregoso discusses the current status of Chicano health and education with Faustina Solis, the former head of California’s migrant clinic program and Rosario C. de Baca, a member of the California Superintendents Advisory Committee. Solis explains that many Chicanos simply cannot afford regular health care. The Chicano population that uses public health clinics tends to be women and children and she describes how the state has successfully decreased the rate of infant morbidity. She explains that there are few statistics on undocumented women and discusses why many are reluctant to seek public health care. She then discusses some of the mental health problems that affect migrants. She also discusses the flaws within the public health care system. Fregoso and Solis then turn to the subject of alternative forms of health care and Solis suggests that educational programs can help prevent many of the health problems affecting the Chicano community.
Fregoso then speaks with de Baca about the educational problems facing Chicanos. C. de Baca explains that while many hoped bilingual programs would lower the Chicano drop out rate, the number has stayed at 50%. She believes the problem is that districts do not adequately support bilingual programs. She also looks at the issue of the education of undocumented. She believes that the Reagan administration’s recent budget cuts will negatively impact education and she suggests that community organizing is one solution to protecting the gains of the Chicano Movement.
KEYWORDS
Bilingual EducationBilingual Education Act of 1967
Boticas
California
Children
Community Health Programs
Community Organizing
County Health Care
Curanderas
Curanderos
Dental Care
Developmental disabilities
Discrimination
Dropout Rates
Education
Fathers
Faustina Solis
Health
Infant Mortality
Lau v. Nichols
Mental Health
Migrant Clinics
Migrants
Morbidity
Mortality
Mothers
Preventative Care
Proposition 13
Public Health
Reagan Administration
Rosario C. de Baca.
Undocumented Workers
University of California San Diego