Hispanic people are more likely than other groups to encounter problems accessing timely and necessary health care. Esperanza is a stalwart supporter of policies that promote access to quality healthcare for Hispanic men, woman, and children who are at especially high risk for chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, asthma, and childhood obesity, among others. Esperanza confirms its commitment to strengthen the Hispanic community by responding with pastoral care and Christian compassion to improve health and enhance the quality of life.

Since 2003, when we developed our first health initiative, Esperanza has concentrated its efforts on HIV/AIDS, a leading cause of death in the Hispanic community. For this reason we developed the Tú eres la respuesta (You are the Answer) HIV/AIDS education and awareness campaign. To learn more, click here.

Esperanza has created other useful HIV/AIDS resources. To review these resources, click here.

Another health initiative from Esperanza is the Tesoros de Esperanza (Treasures of Hope) teen abstinence program. Teen pregnancy is a nationwide problem and abstinence is an effective way of avoiding unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Since 1995, Latina teens have had the highest teen birth rate among the major U.S. racial/ethnic groups. Fifty-one percent of Latina girls in the United States become pregnant at least once by age 20. [National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. (2006). Fact Sheet: Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing Among Latinos in the United States. Washington, DC: Author.]

Through the Tesoros abstinence education program, Esperanza is working with teens in California to provide them with the skills and techniques needed to deal with peer pressure and popular culture to engage in pre-marital sexual behavior. Tesoros de Esperanza teaches about the risks and consequences to the emotional, social, health, and economic well-being of Hispanic youth and families and the benefits of practicing abstinence until marriage. To learn more about Tesoros de Esperanza (Treasures of Hope) click here.