"INCLUDE THE LATINO COMMUNITY IN MEANINGFUL HEALTH CARE REFORM," URGES LA RAZA

Nation's largest Latino civil rights organization hand-delivers thousands of signed postcards from constituents throughout the nation to Nancy Pelosi's office

Washington, DC-NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, today hand-delivered thousands of signed postcards to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office to urge Congress to do everything possible to ensure that all Americans have affordable health care.

The postcards are personal stories that describe the urgent need for health care signed by community members, advocates, and Latino leaders from throughout the country. They are part of a national campaign initiated by NCLR to make sure the voices of communities of color are heard in the health care reform debate at a time when the House of Representatives and the Senate are getting closer to voting on their versions of the bill.

"We rolled over from one side of the freeway to the other," wrote Rafael, from Stockton, California, about how he needed better care when his family was in a car accident. "One of the freeway guard rails hit my arm...[At the hospital] my son and daughter were seen right away. I was the one who was losing lots of blood, but they wouldn't see me because I didn't have insurance. I had to pay before I got surgery. I lost lots of blood just waiting...Finally we called my oldest daughter and she did the payment over the phone. For months after, and even today, glass still falls out of my arm."

The campaign will continue until Congress passes health care reform that works for all American families-not only in emergency situations, but also when it comes to preventive care. NCLR is asking both bodies of Congress to guarantee affordable health care reform that removes barriers to coverage for legal immigrants, addresses health disparities among communities of color, and makes sure the excessive verification proposals that could end up hurting U.S. citizens the most are excluded.

"We want to make sure our elected leaders know that access to affordable health care is a priority for Latino families, and we are actively pursuing reform that is meaningful to the 14 million uninsured Latinos in this nation," said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR. "Through the postcard campaign, NCLR has helped to mobilize communities into action and we are making our political voice heard."

For more information, visit www.nclr.org | http://www.facebook.com/nationalcounciloflaraza | http://www.myspace.com/nclr2008 | http://twitter.com/nclr.