Consuls from Mexico, El Salvador and Peru are supporting local immigrants

Three consuls met with Public Health to offer support for enrollment.
(From left) Matías Valenzuela and Penny Lara of PHSKC,
El Salvador Consul Keny Lopez de Zuleta,
México Consul Eduardo Baca Cuenca and
Perú Consul Miguel Angel Velásquez.

Peruvian consulate located in Lake Forest Park

By Keith Seinfeld

The government consuls of Mexico, Peru and El Salvador are helping to boost health care enrollment for legal immigrants across King County.These new international partnerships will ensure cultural and linguistic barriers don't prevent eligible residents in local Hispanic communities from getting insured.

Improving enrollment resources for underserved or hard-to-reach communities is a key part of King County's strategy to achieve "full enrollment" for all eligible residents.

Public Health - Seattle and King County hosted a meeting with the three consuls in October to brief them on outreach strategies, discuss issues specific to the Latino community and hand out informational brochures about the Affordable Care Act and Washington Healthplanfinder.

Already, several dozen legal immigrants found enrollment assistance through Seattle's Mexican consulate, which hosts a Public Health In-Person Assister at its established "Health Window" on select Fridays.

"Health Windows"  (or "Ventanillas de Salud") is a nation-wide program at Mexican consulates, aimed at providing basic health services (such as screenings, preventive tests and hospital referrals) to immigrants.

The Health Window at Seattle's Mexican consulate now serves as a hub for members of the local Latino community seeking information about the Affordable Care Act or need help with their coverage applications. The Consulate of El Salvador is also planning to establish its own Health Window.