Diversity & Community Health Equity

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Arab American Heritage Month
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
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National Hispanic Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
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Women's History Month

Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month: Across Generations—Healthcare Access, Trust, and Aging in Hispanic and Latino Families

This Hispanic Heritage Month, UI Health invites staff to explore how healthcare access, trust, and care-seeking experiences can differ across generations within Hispanic and Latino families.

Many families navigate healthcare collectively, with older adults, working-age caregivers, younger adults, and children supporting one another. Their experiences may differ based on age, health needs, language preference, place of birth, immigration experience, familiarity with the U.S. healthcare system, insurance access, transportation, work responsibilities, and previous interactions with healthcare institutions.

This event will examine how these factors influence when patients seek care, whether they feel safe and respected, and how delayed or deferred care may contribute to more serious health needs and poorer outcomes—particularly for older adults and others managing chronic conditions.

One Family, Different Healthcare Experiences

Within the same household, family members may experience the healthcare system very differently. An older immigrant adult may need frequent care but face language, transportation, digital access, or trust barriers. A working-age caregiver may balance employment, caregiving, insurance, and appointment coordination. A younger or U.S.-born relative may be more familiar with digital tools and healthcare navigation, while also being more likely to delay preventive care because health concerns feel less immediate.

Across Generations will feature a moderated panel discussion focused on how age, migration history, family roles, language, health needs, and familiarity with the healthcare system shape access and decision-making. The conversation will remain centered on patient care, safety, cultural humility, and practical actions healthcare professionals can take to better support patients and families.

Attendees will:

  • Explore how healthcare access and trust can differ across generations within Hispanic and Latino families
  • Examine how immigrant, first-generation, and U.S.-born experiences may shape healthcare navigation and care-seeking
  • Understand why delayed care may have greater consequences for older adults and patients with chronic health needs
  • Consider the roles younger family members may play as caregivers, interpreters, and healthcare navigators
  • dentify practical strategies to improve communication, language access, trust, patient autonomy, and timely care
Across Generations: Healthcare Access, Trust, and Aging in Hispanic and Latino Families
September 30
Noon — 1:30 pm (CT)
Click here to register

Across Generations: Healthcare Access, Trust, and Aging in Hispanic and Latino Families

  • Date: September 30, 2026
  • Time: Noon – 1:30 PM (CT)
  • Location: Hospital Room 1310 or Online via Zoom
  • Register today!

Panel Discussion Topics & Speakers

Join healthcare, aging, language access, patient experience, and community experts for a moderated discussion exploring:

Intergenerational Households & Healthcare Decision-Making
How caregiving responsibilities, shared decision-making, and family roles can influence whether and when individuals seek care.
Immigrant and U.S.-Born Experiences
How migration history, language, familiarity with U.S. systems, and previous experiences may shape trust, navigation, and comfort accessing healthcare.
Aging, Geriatrics & Increased Health Needs
How delayed care can have more immediate consequences for older adults managing chronic conditions, medications, mobility concerns, or cognitive changes.
Younger Generations & Perceptions of Risk
How younger patients may delay preventive care, rely on urgent care, or take on healthcare navigation and communication responsibilities for older relatives.
Trust, Safety & Delayed Care
How discrimination, stereotyping, language barriers, privacy concerns, cost, and fear of negative treatment may cause patients or families to postpone care.
Supporting Families Across Generations
Practical strategies healthcare teams can use to strengthen communication, language access, care coordination, patient autonomy, and timely access to services.

This session moves beyond broad cultural awareness to examine how healthcare barriers can affect different members of the same family in different ways. Participants will leave with practical insight into how healthcare professionals can create safer, more accessible, and more responsive experiences for Hispanic and Latino patients across the lifespan.

Event Flow

  • 11:30 – 11:50 am: Arrival and Lunch
  • 11:50 am – Noon: Welcome and Hispanic Heritage Month Recognition
  • Noon – 1:00 pm: Moderated Panel Discussion and Q&A 
  • 1 – 1:30 pm: Interactive Activity
  • Lunch will be provided 

At UI Health, we are committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive care for our patients, staff, and community. We invite staff, clinicians, students, and community partners to join us in recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month through a patient-centered conversation about family, aging, access, trust, and better health outcomes.

For additional information or to get involved, visit ODCHE.UIHealth.Care or contact the Office of Diversity and Community Health Equity at UIHDiversity@uic.edu.

Archives

Learn more about how UI Health is honoring the achievements and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx members of our community through Hispanic Heritage Month.

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