Results of a Santa Clara County study shows just how big the gaps in health access and education have become for the local Latino community.
The county's Latino health assessment was ordered two years ago by Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas with the goal of not only finding community issues, but also identify solutions.
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WATCH HERE"Too often our communities are invisible in the data and forgotten in the funding," Arenas said.
Here are some of the results from the report:
- One in every four people in Santa Clara County are Latino
- 53% of Latino third graders are proficient in third grade math compared to 75% of all third grade students in the county
- Latino population has a higher death rate for diabetes than other populations in the South Bay
- 77% of juveniles detained by the county probation department were Latino
The study was the first time in over a decade officials have done this kind of assessment. Officials said the results are stunning.
"These findings confirm that our communities have long been experiencing some of the harshest health conditions," said Victor Vasquez, co-executive director for SOMOS Mayfair.
Arenas believes South Bay officials should use the report to make specific policy changes.
This is also the first time an assessment is offering recommendations, urging leaders to work to "improve health and well-being, such as safe and peaceful neighborhoods, [and find] opportunities for economic stability, adequate housing, and education."
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