Hispanic/Latino Health Issues Seminars: A Holistic Approach to Increasing Cultural Competency among Health Care Professionals

The Hispanic/Latino population, the largest minority group in the United States, grew by an additional 4.6 million individuals from 2000 to the present. This represents a 12.2% increase. It is estimated that by 2050, the Hispanic-origin population will increase to 25% and the non-Hispanic white population will decline to 53% of the total United States population, with over half the Hispanic/Latino population settling into non-traditional communities.
Concerns regarding the increasing Hispanic/Latino population include language barriers and access to quality health care and the need to educate healthcare professionals on health issues, cultural sensitivity and diversity. In response to the increased need of cultural competency in health care, a university in the Southeast offered a series of cultural competency and sensitivity training sessions for health professionals over a one-year period through a program titled Hispanic/Latino Health Issues Seminars.