"New Resources for Latinas"
Mariana Boneo*, Executive Director of the Hispanic Resource Center of Larchmont and Mamaroneck, joins Future Choices in January 2007 to share her insights on major challenges facing Latinas and their families in Westchester County.
Founded in 1998, the Hispanic Resource Center is a not-for-profit community-based organization serving the Hispanic community in Larchmont and Mamaroneck. The organization assists people in need and promotes social, economic and professional integration of the immigrant community into the larger community. It does this by providing needs assessment, identification of issues and resources, direct services, information and referrals, and technical assistance and support to other community-based organizations. Contact: 835-1512 or ResourceCenter@hrclm.org
According to recent series in the Spanish-language New York newspaper El Diario/La Prensa, "the misunderstood and endangered young Latina, who represents one of the fastest-growing segments of the American population. Hispanic teenage girls attempt suicide more often than any other group. They become mothers at younger ages..." -> Read further.
Because HIV/AIDS is poorly recognized as a significant problem within the Hispanic community, "HIV/AIDS advocacy groups and government officials [last October] sought to increase awareness of the epidemic among Latinos on the fourth annual National Latino AIDS Awareness Day," according to KaiserNetwork.org's report October 16, 2006. The report states that only 11% of Latinos in the U.S. view HIV/AIDS as a "current health issue." But a recent & reliable survey deomonstrates that "AIDS-related illnesses among Latinos ages 35 to 44 are the third-leading cause of death among Latino men and the fourth-leading cause among Latinas." Boosting awareness is therefore a high priority among major agencies serving this community.
Pregnancy -- planned or unplanned -- is taking a disproportionate number of Latinas away from paying jobs. "Hispanic women are giving birth to more children and at a younger age, and an increasing number of the new mothers are leaving the work force, according to [recent] studies. -> Read further.
* Born in Argentina, Mariana Boneo was originally trained as a music therapist. She worked in that capacity in her homeland and in Argentina before joining the staff of the Sarah R. Neuman Home in Mamaroneck -> Read further.