U., civic group act to lure Hispanic students into public health

The University of Utah's Public Health Program is teaming up with community partners in an effort to attract more Hispanic graduate students into the field of public health.

A new endowment announced Wednesday will provide ongoing funding to the Sen. Pete Suazo Memorial Endowed Hispanic Scholarship in Public Health. The endowment will allow the scholarship, created in 2002, to grow to eventually provide two full-ride scholarships.

"This marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration, a major step toward the goal of eliminating health care disparities in Utah," said George White, director of the U.'s Public Health Program, in a statement.

Lorena Riffo-Jenson, spokeswoman for Utah Hispanic Business Leadership Foundation, said as the state's minority population grows, it becomes increasingly critical to address disparities within health care. Key to that effort is ensuring ethnic minorities enter health fields.

"I just know public health has been one area we haven't had a lot of (Hispanic) students go through," Riffo-Jenson said. "As our population grows, there is going to be a higher demand for knowledge on how to reach these communities."

As an example for the need, she pointed to insurance: One in four Hispanics doesn't have coverage — more than double the overall uninsured rate, according to the Utah Department of Health's report on "Health Status by Race and Ethnicity."

The scholarship is named for the late Sen. Pete Suazo, a lawmaker and civil rights advocate who died in 2001. His widow, Alicia Suazo, expressed gratitude in a statement, saying the endowment "recognizes the need to have public health workers in areas that serve ethnic populations."

Under the endowment, the Business Leadership Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will provide $5,000 a year for three years. Red Iguana Restaurant pledged $1,000 and Regence BlueCross BlueShield pledged $2,500. For more information visit www.utahhcc.com.

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