Helping to understand and overcome barriers to health care

Members of minority communities often face challenges in accessing health care—challenges that prevent them from learning what to do and how to do it. By working with minority elected officials and community leaders, AstraZeneca is committed to learning more about these challenges and helping to overcome them. Although we have made some progress, there is more to do.

That is why we are committed to these programs:

• Texas Hispanic Healthcare Initiative
  To improve the heart health care of the Hispanic population, AstraZeneca and the Texas Pharmacy Association partnered with the Texas Hispanic Healthcare Initiative to establish the Bexar County Healthcare Coalition. This group designed a health care model that provides the best possible care to the Hispanic patient, while simultaneously reducing total medical costs.
  
  
• Health Disparities Conference
  For the first time ever, AstraZeneca brought together the leaders of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) for a Health Disparities Conference in November 2003.

  This meeting’s goal was to discuss efforts to improve access to care and treatments for African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Participants in the 2003 NBCSL/NHCSL Healthcare Disparities Conference heard calls to action from government representatives from around the nation. They discussed the continuing need to ensure better health outcomes for these populations and to educate their constituents.