News (Noticias) Tagged ‘insurance’

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) has made enhancements to its employee benefit enrollment services by adding more features to serve the Spanish-speaking workforce.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Spanish speakers constitute 12 percent of the U.S. population. To better serve that growing community, Guardian has introduced customized Spanish-language benefit enrollment kits, with everything an employee needs to make an informed decision in one document, with a company’s name and logo. This latest enhancement complements existing bilingual services such as communications that raise awareness of plan offerings and a toll-free employee benefits hotline (available in over 50 languages) that answers employees’ questions prior to enrolling in order to help them understand their options and simplify the “how to” of signing up during enrollment season.

“According to a recent Guardian survey, 20 percent of small business owners cite providing clear, easy-to-understand information to their employees as their primary challenge during open enrollment season. This latest enhancement to our enrollment services addresses the unique and diverse needs of small and mid-size business owners and their employees,” said Elena Wu, 2nd vice president of Group Marketing and Worksite for Guardian. “Spanish speakers comprise a large portion of the U.S., so adding bilingual support services is just a logical step to help business owners and their employees navigate the enrollment process and help them better understand their options.”

Guardian has also teamed up with Olympic gold medalist Mia Hamm to promote the importance of workplace benefits during open enrollment season. Guardian produced an educational video for employees, business owners, and benefit decision makers that highlights how workplace benefits can help employees protect themselves and stay healthy. The video features Hamm, a new mom, and provides tips to help employees make the right benefit choices. As a way to help employees enroll in what’s right for them and their families, employers can direct employees to watch the video at www.guardianenrollmenttips.com .

About Guardian
Founded in 1860, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY (Guardian) is one of the largest mutual life insurance companies in the United States. As of December 31, 2007, Guardian and its subsidiaries had $41.3 billion in assets (on a consolidated statutory basis). With close to 3,000 financial representatives and 80 agencies nationwide, Guardian and its subsidiaries protect individuals, small business owners, and their employees with life, disability, health, long-term care, critical illness and dental insurance products, and offer 401(k), annuities, and other financial products and trust services. Specializing in the small to mid-size business market, Guardian’s Group business unit serves more than 120,000 employers, 6 million employees, and their families. More information about Guardian can be obtained at: www.GuardianLife.com . “

MetLife, Inc. announced today that Carlos Suarez, managing partner, New England Financial (NEF) Miami, a MetLife company, was named a 2008 National Hispanic Corporate Achiever.
For more than 25 years, The National Hispanic Corporate Achievers has provided an opportunity for major corporations to gather and honor the accomplishments of their top employees of Hispanic descent. By recognizing the achievements of Hispanics from the business world, National Hispanic Corporate Achievers is illustrating that Hispanics are important to the growth of the nation and the companies for which they work.
Suarez was selected as this year’s Corporate Achiever for his dynamic leadership in the financial services industry. As managing partner of NEF Miami, Suarez oversees all operations, sales, compliance, marketing and business development activities. Since joining NEF Miami in 2004, Suarez has expanded the agency from nine financial services representatives to 38. He is particularly focused on hiring representatives who share the agency’s commitment to educating Hispanic families about how they can achieve their goals and plan for the their children’s future.
Suarez has been a financial planner for 14 years, and hold several professional designations. He received a BA in business administration from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, and an MBA from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Suarez is a member of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, Doral Business Council, National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors and the Financial Planning Association.
Celebrating 140 years, MetLife, Inc. is a leading provider of insurance and financial services with operations throughout the United States and the Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions. Through its domestic and international subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife, Inc. reaches more than 70 million customers around the world and MetLife is the largest life insurer in the United States (based on life insurance in-force). The MetLife companies offer life insurance, annuities, auto and home insurance, retail banking and other financial services to individuals, as well as group insurance and retirement & savings products and services to corporations and other institutions. For more information, please visit www.metlife.com.
New England Financial, a MetLife company, is the service mark for New England Life Insurance Company Boston, MA. Securities products and investment advisory services are offered through New England Securities Corp., a broker/dealer (member FINRA /SIPC), and registered investment adviser. “

Jose Nino, former President & CEO of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Brian W. Silver, co-founder, announce the launch of Care Alternative North America (CANA), an alternative healthcare and employee benefits company packaging low-cost healthcare solutions for the 75 million uninsured and underinsured by aligning with associations, churches, businesses, groups, youth and adult sports teams, daycare centers and foundations. Care Alternative has five comprehensive low-cost programs covering everything from doctor & hospital care to sports accidents and repatriation of the body.

According to the Commonwealth Fund 2007 Biennial Health Insurance Survey the number of uninsured added to the number of underinsured has grown to 75 million. Underinsured people are those that have health coverage but it does not adequately protect them from high medical expenses. The study found that 42% of the under-65 population had either no insurance or inadequate insurance in 2007, up from 35% in 2003. Much of this growth comes from the ranks of the middle class.

Half of the underinsured and two-thirds of the uninsured do not see a doctor, do not fill prescriptions and do not follow up with much needed tests.

“Healthcare is at a crisis level in the U.S.,” said Jose Nino, “People need to know that there is help for them when they get sick. I saw first hand what can happen to small business owners trying to find coverage for their employees only to fail due to high costs leaving thousands of workers to fend for themselves and go without.”

In 2006 Jose had a chance meeting with Brian W. Silver in Washington D.C. when Brian was in the beginning stages of working on a healthcare savings card. They discussed the healthcare problem and decided to join forces to develop low-cost insurance programs and services to meet the needs of every income level.

“I was very impressed with Jose right from the start,” said Brian W. Silver. “He was very passionate about healthcare issues in America and he wanted to do something to help those that could not get adequate care. We worked for two years to put together best of class, low-cost programs for individuals, businesses, groups and those with prior health conditions.”

As costs rise more people search for solutions to affordable healthcare. “I received a call this week from a representative at a private school in NJ, that currently provides a discount healthcare savings card for their teachers and staff, and he wanted to discuss our Mini-Med Insurance program because it had more coverage at a low price,” said Brian W. Silver.

“While Washington debates the current economic crisis people will be looking to stay insured and business will look for new ways to cover them,” said Jose Nino, “not all will get full benefits for a long time they will need to find other alternatives - Care Alternative fills that void.”

About Care Alternative North America, LLC:

Care Alternative North America, based in Morris County, NJ, with satellite locations in Washington, DC and Dallas, TX and founded in 2006, is an alternative healthcare, and employee benefits company. The company was built on the growing need to provide affordable and broad-based discount healthcare and insurance based programs and services for everyone. The company is one of the first to package low-cost healthcare options for churches, businesses, groups, associations, teams, organizations and foundations to offer their members.

Contact: Jose Nino, President, 202-251-5077

Brian W. Silver, CEO 973-448-9946

Results of a recent study by the LIFE Foundation show that 93% of Hispanics believe that it is important to own life insurance, but nearly half (49%) say they don’t have adequate coverage. The survey was conducted by the LIFE Foundation in support of Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM), a month-long public education effort aimed at encouraging people to evaluate their life insurance needs.

Hispanics Less Likely Than Non-Hispanics to Have Coverage
The survey found that 44% of adult Hispanics have no life insurance coverage at all, compared to 37% of non-Hispanics. Of those with coverage, Hispanics are slightly more likely to have group coverage through work than they are to own individually purchased insurance (39% vs. 37%).

Reflecting their lower ownership levels, Hispanics are more likely than non-Hispanics to be worried about how their families would manage financially in the event of their premature death (63% vs. 55%).

“There’s anxiety in the Hispanic community because many people realize that their families are financially vulnerable,” says LIFE Foundation spokesperson Jose Rodriguez. “It’s clear that Hispanics understand the importance of life insurance and want to protect their families, yet they aren’t taking the necessary steps to get the coverage they need.”

Why Hispanics Lack Adequate Coverage
Of those Hispanics who say they don’t have enough life insurance coverage, the top reasons they cite for not having adequate protection are cost (58%), a lack of knowledge (29%) and procrastination (25%).

“The key to getting people the coverage they need is education, and that’s what Life Insurance Awareness Month is all about,” says Rodriguez. “The reality is that there are policies to fit any need and budget, and procrastinating only puts your loved ones in further financial jeopardy. Make September the time to get educated and meet with an insurance professional in your community for a life insurance review. ”

To help people get started, the LIFE Foundation responds to some of the most common misconceptions that prevent people from obtaining the coverage they need:

- Life insurance is too expensive. Life insurance has never been more affordable. The cost for basic term life insurance has fallen by about 50 percent over the past ten years. A healthy 35-year-old can buy a 20-year, $500,000 policy for about a dollar a day.

- Only the main wage earner needs life insurance. The reality is that if someone depends on you, financially or otherwise, you need life insurance. Even stay-at-home parents and people who care for aging relatives need life insurance. Think about it. If they were suddenly gone, the many functions they perform would be costly to replace.

- The coverage I have through my employer is enough. Even if you have coverage through work, chances are that it’s not enough to meet all of your needs. Many employers provide, at their own expense, a “basic” life insurance benefit, often equal to one to two times your base salary. While this is a nice benefit to have, insurance experts believe that most people need somewhere in the range of 10 times their annual income and sometimes even more.

For more information about life insurance, visit www.cosaspasan.org. The LIFE Foundation’s site even has a Life Insurance Needs Calculator to help give you a general sense of how much life insurance you need to protect your loved ones.

About Life Insurance Awareness Month
Held each September, Life Insurance Awareness Month is an industry-wide effort that is coordinated by the nonprofit Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE). The campaign was created in response to growing concern about the large number of Americans who lack adequate life insurance protection. According to LIMRA International, an industry research firm, 68 million adult Americans have no life insurance. Those who own life insurance have an average of four times their annual income in coverage, which is considerably less than most experts recommend. For more information on life insurance and to find a qualified insurance professional in your area, visit LIFE’s Web site at www.cosaspasan.org.

About LIFE
The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) was founded in 1994 in response to the public’s growing need for information and education on life, health, disability and long-term care insurance. LIFE also seeks to remind people of the important role insurance professionals perform in helping families, businesses and individuals find the insurance products that best fit their needs. To learn more about these topics, please visit www.cosaspasan.org.

The LIFE Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between August 12-18, 2008 and surveyed 1,275 Nationally Representative Americans ages 18 and older, (this includes an over-sample of 268 Hispanic Americans) using an online questionnaire. The survey has a margin of error of 2.7 percent. The margins for the subgroups are slightly higher. “

The Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC) has named UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) company, its first-ever health insurance carrier of choice for its employees, affiliated Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and member businesses.

UnitedHealthcare is the first national health benefits company to receive this endorsement from TAMACC.

Arcilia C. Acosta, TAMACC chairman of the board, said that the chamber has selected UnitedHealthcare in part due to the company’s Latino Health Solutions program, which offers products, services and programs specifically tailored to meet the unique health care needs of Hispanics, Hispanic-owned businesses and their employees.

“The Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce recognizes and appreciates UnitedHealthcare’s commitment to provide Hispanics with customized health resources and services that are linguistically and culturally relevant,” said Acosta. “UnitedHealthcare is playing a vital role in enabling Hispanic-owned businesses and their employees to become more engaged in their health. We look forward to partnering with UnitedHealthcare to help Hispanics gain easier access to services that help them get better care.”

“At UnitedHealthcare, we are committed to supporting Hispanics and their communities with programs that improve their overall health and enhance their well-being and quality of life,” said Russell Bennett, UnitedHealthcare’s vice president of Latino Health Solutions. “We are honored that the Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce has recognized our commitment.”

TAMACC and UnitedHealthcare have entered into a strategic alliance to offer UnitedHealthcare health benefit plans to the chamber’s employees, as well as its 29 affiliated Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and member businesses. Included among the health plans is PlanBien, an innovative product that combines health benefit plans with unique services designed to help enhance the health and well-being of Spanish-speaking Hispanics and their families.

PlanBien transcends traditional health plans with a host of bilingual and bicultural health-information and customer-service programs tailored to meet the unique health care needs of Hispanics. These include: specialized educational materials printed in Spanish including ¿Que le dijo el doctor? (What did the doctor tell you?) – bilingual photo stories depicting how a family discusses common health concerns; trained and certified bilingual (English/Spanish) customer service representatives located in San Antonio available to answer questions and help plan participants locate Spanish-speaking doctors; a bilingual provider directory that lists physician offices with Spanish-speaking doctors and/or staff; and much more. In addition, PlanBien customers in Texas have access to UnitedHealthcare’s national network of more than 560,000 physicians and 4,800 hospitals.

“In developing PlanBien, we enhanced UnitedHealthcare’s quality and cost-effective health benefit plans with innovative support services that help address two growing areas of concern: the need to reduce the rate of the uninsured among the Hispanic population; and the effort to help Hispanics – many of whom communicate more comfortably in Spanish – better understand their health plan and become more engaged in their health care. We believe PlanBien can make a positive impact on both fronts,” said Bennett.

“PlanBien is perfectly suited for businesses and organizations with Spanish-speaking employees who may speak English at work but prefer to speak Spanish at home or when dealing with complex or personal topics like their health or health care benefits,” Bennett added.

More information about UnitedHealthcare’s Latino Health Solutions is available online at www.uhclatino.com, a bilingual (English/Spanish) Web site that offers a physician directory, wellness tools, health education materials and much more. Also, www.mentesana-cuerposano.com, developed by Latino Health Solutions and UnitedHealth Group’s OptumHealth, offers bilingual behavioral health services. UnitedHealthcare’s Nurseline offers real-time health advice from trained nurses and provides access to Spanish-speaking interpreters. “

The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) today proudly announced a key alliance with S.USA Life Insurance Company, Inc. (S.USA). This new alliance, to be managed by Hispanic Chamber Insurance Services, a USHCC-owned insurance agency, will offer much-needed, premier life insurance products, services and programs to Hispanic Chamber member businesses, individuals and families. The pilot program is available to Hispanic business owners throughout California.

Hispanics, numbering more than 45 million people nationwide, now possess more disposable income than any other minority group. While the numbers are staggering, this growing economic strength continues to carry with it substantial vulnerabilities. According to a study by the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University, only one-third of Hispanics possess life insurance compared to almost two-thirds of the overall U.S. population. This deficit may expose many Hispanic families to financial risk long-term.

“The financial strength and stability of our families and our businesses is vital to the economic empowerment of our community,” said USHCC chairman, David Lizárraga. “In light of this fact and consistent with our mission at the USHCC, we are honored to work with S.USA Life Insurance Company, the country’s first truly bilingual life insurance company, to provide a membership program that will offer affordable and accessible options for our business owners and their employees.”

The USHCC, which represents more than 2.5 million Hispanic-owned businesses nationwide, selected the longstanding and nationally recognized S.USA Life Insurance Company as its underwriter. S.USA is a member company of the SBLI USA Group, which includes the parent company SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company, Inc. In operation for almost 70 years, SBLI USA has a strong history of serving working families from underserved communities such as the Hispanic business community.

“Hispanic-owned businesses and families deserve greater access to life insurance and financial security,” said Vikki L. Pryor, president and CEO of SBLI USA. “In a study conducted by LIMRA, nearly 35 percent of Hispanics with dependents stated they were very concerned about not having adequate protection in the event of premature death. S.USA is honored to have the trust of the USHCC to offer solutions to concerns such as these to its membership.”

Hilda Rayas, USHCC Chief Operating Officer, added, “We are excited to begin our California pilot programs which will assist us in measuring the needs and demands for life insurance products and services within our Hispanic communities.” She went on to say that, “S.USA’s financial stability, premier product offerings, and state-of-the art technology platform puts them in a great position to take on this exciting initiative.”

About the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1979, the USHCC actively promotes the economic growth and development of Hispanic entrepreneurs and represents the interests of more than 2.5 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States that generate almost $400 billion annually. It also serves as the umbrella organization for 200 local Hispanic chambers in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Bolivia and Uruguay.

About Hispanic Chamber Insurance Services
Hispanic Chamber Insurance Services is wholly owned by USHCC Enterprises, Inc., which is a California corporation wholly owned by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Hispanic Chamber Insurance Services is licensed by the State of California Department of Insurance for life and health insurance products, license number 0G13599.

About SBLI USA/S.USA Life Insurance Company
SBLI USA and S.USA market a wide range of life insurance products to underserved and diverse markets. The Company is the first truly bilingual life insurance company in the United States and is dedicated to providing individuals, families and communities with information and products to achieve financial goals. SBLI USA has more than 300,000 policyholders nationwide, more than $16 billion of insurance in force, and over $1.5 billion in assets, including $129 million in surplus capital. S.USA is a member company of the SBLI USA Group, which includes the parent company SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company, Inc. For more information visit www.susa.com . “

With an eye on the fast-growing Hispanic market, State Farm Insurance Cos. will announce Thursday that it will be the lead sponsor of the largest national campaign thus far to encourage Latinos to become U.S. citizens and register to vote. That will make it the first mainstream U.S. corporation to put money behind the massive mobilization effort ahead of the November presidential vote.

State Farm, one of the country’s top home and auto insurers, will inject $1 million into the “Ya Es Hora” (It’s About Time) campaign. The drive — backed by the largest Spanish-language broadcast and print media in the U.S., and spearheaded by a nonpartisan outreach group, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials Educational Fund — could influence the agenda and outcome of the 2008 election.”*

www.latinforce.net [Latin Force Group, LLC] recently appointed Arthur Rockwell to the position as Vice President of Enterprise Sales.

Arthur is a respected sales and marketing executive within the industry and brings nearly two decades of experience to the Latin Force team. He has spent most of his career educating and working with clients to assist them with tapping into the increasingly diverse and affluent U.S. Hispanic market.

Most recently, Arthur worked for CBS Outdoor Latino as the Senior Vice President of Sales. While at CBS Outdoor, he piloted a new division to market, promote, and sell out-of-home media coverage of the U.S. Hispanic market. He has extensive experience in maximizing sales efforts by creating a motivating atmosphere for sales teams and fostering strong relationships with advertisers, marketers, advertising agencies, and media-buying organizations.

Arthur has an impressive background in sales and marketing, making him a significant asset to the Latin Force team. “Arthur’s experience leading sales organizations in multicultural media organizations will help ensure that more enterprises across industries and throughout the United States enjoy the benefits of Latin Force,” says Managing Partner and Co-Founder, César Melgoza.

Additionally, Arthur received a number of awards for his outstanding success. In 2006, he was named the Out-of-Home All Star by Adweek’s Marketing & Medios magazine. In 2007, Arthur was nominated for Hispanicad.com Media Executive of the Year. He was also named the Co-chairman of Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Multicultural Marketing Committee.

About Latin Force Group:
Latin Force Group is a strategy and market intelligence firm that provides cultural insights, consumer intelligence, go-to-market plans, databases, technology and analytics to help our clients achieve significant growth with America’s new mainstream consumers. The firm is headquartered in New York City with offices in Miami and Los Angeles. Among our diverse list of clients are: Allstate, American General Financial, BlueCross BlueShield, Farmer’s Insurance, DirecTV, General Mills, Humana, H&R Block, Mass Mutual, SuperValu, TracFone and Univision and. To learn more about the Latin Force Group, please visit www.latinforce.net.”*

Pan-American Life Insurance Company has excelled for the third straight year ranking first among Hispanic companies in the state of Louisiana according to Hispanic Business 500, the magazine’s annual business directory.

In the June issue, the magazine ranked Pan-American Life as 23rd among all Hispanic businesses in the nation and second among the top 10 companies in the finance sector.

“Pan-American Life’s growth mirrors our distinctive competitive advantages; a multicultural management team, strong brand recognition in Latin America and an understanding of the complex multicultural nature of the U.S. Hispanic population,” said Chairman of the Board and CEO Jose Suquet. “In terms of insurance, we are the bridge between Hispanics working here in the U.S. and their extended families back home.”

Since January 2008, Suquet has enlisted four new senior managers to reposition the company in the Americas. Today, 50 percent of the company’s senior management, more than 39 percent of its home office employees, 76 percent of the overall company employees and 60 percent of its policyholders are Hispanics.

Pan-American Life had a 4.9 percent increase in revenues, growing from $262.43 million in 2006 to $275.21 million in 2007, while total assets reached $2.1 billion and total capital of $331 million, an all-time high.

For more than two decades, the Hispanic Business 500 has served as a barometer of the U.S. Hispanic economy.

About Pan-American Life

Founded in 1911, New Orleans-based Pan-American Life Insurance Company is a leading international insurance company, employing more than 700 worldwide, providing top-rated life and health insurance, worksite benefits and financial services in 46 states, the District of Columbia (DC) and Puerto Rico. Its international operations, offering individual and group life and health insurance throughout Latin America, includes affiliates in Panama, Guatemala and Colombia, and branch offices in Ecuador, El Salvador and Honduras. For more information, visit the Pan-American Life Web site at www.panamericanlife.com.

Pan-American Life Insurance Company is a member of Pan-American Life Insurance Group. The Group is comprised of a number of insurance and reinsurance companies serving nearly half a million customers throughout the Americas. “*

AyQueChevere.com, the first online Spanish language marketplace of its kind, launches its ecommerce website today. AyQueChevere.com will bridge the gap between 45 million Latino consumers and Fortune 500 retail and financial service outlets. Now consumers who prefer shopping for products in services in Spanish can enjoy the enhanced features, benefits and convenience online shopping provides. At the same time, companies striving to connect with the fastest growing consumer group in the United States have a new, potent tool to educate and reach that market.

“Our approach is a paradigm shift from the way most companies approach their clients,” said Ray Jelley, CEO of AyQueChevere.com. “Our advantage is that we not only speak the language and understand the culture of our consumer base, but we truly understand the Latino consumer market’s needs, not what general market businesses perceive those needs to be.”

“The Latino community is now the largest minority group in America,” Jelley continued. “There are more than 18.8 million Latino citizens online today, and represents 15% of the total population. We wanted to give our Spanish and Portuguese speaking consumers the advantages of online features and benefits that were up till now, only available in English.”

AyeQueChevere.com is designed to be the Internet’s one stop shop for Latino consumers. One particularly popular feature of this site is its price comparison section that provides clients with cost saving options on services such as automotive, insurance, real estate, mobile & wireless, mortgage, and home improvement. Consumers have the option of logging onto the website or calling 1-800-AyQueChevere to speak with someone live in Spanish, Portuguese or English. Additionally, the website includes a visually-rich 3D virtual mall featuring brand name products from US retailers as well as products from over 20 Spanish and Portuguese countries..

Serving both the Latino consumer and the corporate sponsors who wish to serve this community, AyeQueChevere.com represents a true a partnership proposition. What makes AyeQueChevere.com so powerful is that it benefits its corporate clients on two fronts. By leveraging unique understanding, AyeQueChevere.com helps to better position and message current products so they are more appealing and accessible to the Latino market. At the same time, valuable demographic and market preference data is collected, interpreted and available for companies so they can improve the success of their new product designs and promotional campaigns.

CEO Jelley explained, “The beauty of AyQueChevere.com is that we provide a direct infusion of new targeted consumers to our vendor partners, and work directly with them in order to in turn help grow their businesses.

AyQueChevere translates to “very cool” in English. Making use of the “coolness” that pervades Latino music, AyQueChevere.com plans to build its brand awareness offline by hosting a series of lfestival style concerts around the country.

About AyQueChevere.com:

AyQueChevere.com is a California-based ecommerce and market development company, providing lead generation services to leading consumer retail and services companies, and providing the first of its kind in-language ecommerce Latino marketplace. Establishing itself as a conduit for the nation’s 45 million Latino consumers to the benefits of online shopping, AyeQueChevere.com is uniquely positioned to help US businesses navigate the needs of this marketplace. AyQueChevere.com is a privately held company.

AyQueChevere, AyQueChevere.com and the AyQueChevere.com logo are trademarks of AyQueChevere.com, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Vendor opportunities:

Contact AyQueChevere Sales
800.411.6057
sales@ayquechevere.com

Investor relations and press contact:

Ray Jelley CEO
AyeQueChever.com
949.228.2248
rjelley@ayquecheve.com

The Hispanic population is growing three times faster than the general market in the U.S. Now, agents have even more ways to grow their business with this rapidly emerging market, thanks to new tools from Progressive.

Progressive, the largest writer of auto insurance for Hispanics through independent agents and brokers in the U.S., is rolling out a suite of informational and co-branded Hispanic advertising materials exclusively for its agents. These tools are being introduced this week in conjunction with the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) annual conference in Austin, Texas.

“This robust package of materials was developed to be culturally relevant and meaningful for this demographic” said Jonathan Klein, Hispanic marketing manager for Progressive. “With resources to support private passenger and commercial auto, as well as special lines, agents now have access to everything from signage for community events to co-branded advertising materials and handouts for customers that easily explain insurance”
Consumer Resources

Welcome kit. Developed for agents to hand out to new customers, this compact, Spanish-language welcome kit fits in a glove box for easy access. The kit includes general information about Progressive, a policyholder features and benefit checklist on what they purchased, as well as a tip sheet on what to do if an accident happens. There’s also space to insert agents’ business cards, policy documents, and additional brochures.

Education materials. With information on insurance basics and more, agents can use these bilingual pieces to help customers better understand auto insurance.

* Auto Insurance Basics brochure
* Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on insurance
* Easy to read declaration and billing pages that break down and explain each section in Spanish

Agency Marketing Materials

Community event support. Agents can increase their visibility at community events with new promotional materials. On the agency-dedicated Web site www.ForAgentsOnly.com, agents have access to a new one-stop shop of branded and co-branded banners, tents, trade show booths, promotional items and more.

Hispanic Market Toolkit. Offering co-branded Spanish-language print ads, posters, postcards, radio ads and more, the Hispanic Market Toolkit has everything agents need to grow their Hispanic business. The toolkit is and available to select Progressive agents.

Spanish-Language Referral Card. With these bilingual cards, agents can facilitate more customer referrals.

In addition to providing all of these materials free of charge, Progressive offers excellent support for Spanish-speaking customers with 24/7 bilingual claims and customer service. “*

It turns out, as a Latina, Coy became another statistic. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Hispanic women.

That is a fact. As to why, that is a little more complicated to determine. Researchers seem to think that it is a combination of socioeconomic and cultural factors.

Being at a higher poverty level than non-Hispanic white women, more Latinas lack medical insurance, which puts them at a disadvantage in having adequate health care. Then, of course, there is the lack of awareness, due in part to the language barrier and conservative cultural stigma about how women should treat their bodies.”*

With the focus now squarely on the general election, the pressure intensifies to work those pieces of the demographic pie that could mean The White House. Among the tastier slices? U.S. Latino voters.

Ten years ago, at just under 11% of the U.S. population, the U.S. Hispanic market began drawing interest in earnest, some pointing to untapped spending, others to the potential for playing a decisive role in an election. Even so, efforts have been piecemeal and adjunct. Today, at just over 15% of the population and growing, campaigns are finally getting game, dedicating larger budgets and integrating efforts earlier. More important than the percentage of the U.S. population that is Latino is the percentage of the voting public they represent in many key states as demonstrated in the recent Democratic primary contests.

In Texas, Latino participation went from 24% in 2004 to 32% this year. In California, where roughly a third of the population is Latino, 1.2 million Latinos voted – the highest total of any state – representing a whopping 29% of the total vote. This is a dramatic increase from the 2004 primaries where Latinos accounted for just 16% of the total vote. According to studies by the Pew Hispanic Center, Latinos’ stake of the Democratic primary vote increased significantly since 2004 in 15 other states, including Arizona, Nevada, New Jersey and New Mexico.

What could be bringing Latino voters out in such record numbers? It could be the record amounts being spent on Spanish and English language ads targeting Latinos; however, the proportion of dollars spent to the relative increase in voter turnout doesn’t support this idea.

And although more attention than ever is focused on the Latino electorate, media still struggles with how to characterize Latino voters and campaigns how to decisively galvanize their support.

Why should this group be so hard to get a handle on?

Perhaps it’s because the descriptor “Latino” tends to be erroneously interpreted as meaning this is a homogeneous group or, at least as an electorate, a group that shares the same general cluster of characteristics somewhat discrete from other groups. In my experience when there is some acknowledgement of heterogeneity it is typically in terms of different levels of “acculturation,” a concept I heartily dissuade clients and all comers alike to discard as virtually useless.

The problem with applying the term “acculturation” to the U.S. Latino experience is that there is no specific definition, only the vague inference that people progress along an implicitly linear continuum of mainstream American-ness going from “Less American” to “More American” until they are “fully acculturated.”

But more or less American than whom or what? A flourishing advertising and marketing industry spends tens of millions of dollars each year carefully dissecting and targeting all different kinds of Americans.

Going back to the homogeneity assumption, when it comes to trying to differentiate Latinos as a group from other groups, the temptation is to focus on cultural differences such as the much-touted family-centric ethos. I contend this is not relevant when addressing Latinos as voters. Instead, I believe the focus needs to be on characteristics that correlate highly with being a U.S. Latino and are shared in common with other groups in order to understand their needs and draw support.

The average U.S. Latino has more children, earns less money and has a lower level of educational achievement than the average American. For Spanish language dominant Americans (22% of eligible Latino voters), the language barrier means there are fewer resources available to them, resulting in frustration and alienation. They feel no one understands the special challenges they face in raising their family in today’s society. Interestingly, in focus groups I’ve found these same feelings voiced by single mothers.

The lower paying jobs U.S. Latinos tend to hold typically don’t offer health insurance, further threatening the tentative foothold many have on economic survival – a worry they have in common with more and more Americans as the ranks of the middle class continue to shrink. Latinos also represent an unusually high proportion of family members serving in the Iraq war – a burden they share with low income Americans of all races and ethnicities.

The key to appealing to Latinos in this election year is understanding that they represent the hardest hit of the hardest hit in the current economic downturn and have the most to lose as the war grinds on in Iraq. Hillary Clinton’s relative success with Latino voters had nothing to do with Black-Brown tensions undermining Obama and everything to do with her campaign focus on the needs of working class people and the Bill Clinton legacy of a strong economy.

And while historically Latinos have leaned towards the Democratic Party, examination of Latino voter behavior over the last few elections suggests neither Democrats nor Republicans can count on party line support. In 2004 George Bush drew more than 40% of the Latino vote, and I would contend this was in large part due to his ability to appeal to the working class. And while the 2006 mid-term elections showed an overall decrease in Latino support of Republican Congressional and gubernatorial candidates and an overall increase in support of Democrats, Latinos split their ballots voting in record numbers for certain Republicans.

So why are Latinos turning out in record numbers to vote? Because not since the 1960s has so much been at stake for the lowest on the economic totem pole. The economy and the war have only worsened in the last two years. While these are important issues for everyone, for working class families their very survival hangs in the balance.

To carry the Latino vote in this election, the focus is simple… think “hardest hit of the hardest hit.” McCain has a good start in this direction. His Spanish language ads are direct and to the point, saying, “When it comes to filling up our shopping carts or gas tanks, we aren’t Democrats or Republicans. We’re Latinos suffering in this together…” and promising (however vague) solutions to these economic woes.

While Obama’s Latino-focused ads are hip, catchy and even moving (reggaeton beats to chants promising “Hope has arrived”), they do not address important needs or propose a plan of action. As Reina, an anonymous Latina in Los Angeles commented in response to seeing these ads, “It’s upbeat, but does he get how bad things are? Can he handle the challenges? What has he ever done?”

As Obama heads into the final months of the general election, if he wishes to garner the coveted Latino vote, he will have to present the answer to an even more important question: what will he do for Hispanics, the people on the front lines of our floundering economy.

Ines Poza, Ph.D., is the owner of Poza Consulting Services, a market research firm based in Santa Monica, CA providing research and strategic planning for media and consumer goods targeting general market and Latino audiences in the U.S. and Latin America. Contact Dr. Poza at 310.264.4637.

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A type of stroke that can strike at any age, and kills one-third of its victims, appears to be more common in women and Mexican-Americans than in non-Hispanic white men, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Stroke Program.

In a paper published online June 11 by the journal Neurology, the researchers report that women had a 74 percent greater chance of suffering a type of stroke related to a ruptured brain aneurysm. Mexican-Americans of both genders had a 67 percent greater chance.

The type of stroke measured in the study is called a subarachnoid hemorrhage, or SAH. The new research may help public health officials reach out to higher-risk groups with information on prevention and the importance of rapid treatment.

The new paper also gives a “real world” picture of the risk of dying from an SAH, which was nearly one in three in the geographic region in the study. That region, Nueces County, Texas, where the city of Corpus Christi is located, has a large Mexican-American population and does not have a major university health system.

Although African Americans and Asian Americans were included in the initial screening portion of the study, which reviewed the medical records of 6,550 stroke patients, their numbers were too small to assess any differences in risk of SAH.

“Physicians and public health officials should help Mexican Americans and women take steps that might prevent subarachnoid hemorrhage, and other types of stroke that have already been shown to be more common in these two groups,” says senior author Lewis Morgenstern, M.D. “Given that Mexican Americans are the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the United States, it’s important to understand how this condition might affect them differently, and tailor messages to them.”

Morgenstern, who directs the Stroke Program at the U-M Cardiovascular Center, is a professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the U-M Medical School, and of epidemiology at the U-M School of Public Health. The first author on the study, Sonia Eden, M.D., is a former chief resident in neurosurgery at U-M.

The study is the latest to arise from the BASIC project, whose name comes from Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi. The project involves surveillance for all strokes and mini-strokes in Nueces County, and detailed analysis of anonymous patient records.

Previously, using data from BASIC, Morgenstern and his colleagues have shown differences between ethnic groups and genders in other types of stroke – including the most common type, ischemic.

The new paper is based on data from 107 subarachoid hemorrhage patients over the age of 44 who experienced their stroke between 2000 and 2006. All of their diagnoses were validated by neurologists who reviewed their records in detail.

The reasons for the ethnic and gender differences seen in the new study are unclear, because the researchers were able to account and adjust for blood pressure, age, excessive alcohol use, smoking and health insurance status.

In all, 40 percent of the 107 SAH cases were in non-Hispanic whites, although 52 percent of the over-45 population in the study area is non-Hispanic white. Meanwhile, 60 percent of the SAH cases occurred in Mexican Americans, who make up 48 percent of the population over age 45 in the study area.

At the same time, 67.3 percent of SAH patients were women, though 53.5 percent of the population in the area is female. The researchers found that Mexican American women had the highest risk.

Subarachoid hemorrhages account for 3 percent of the 780,000 strokes that occur in the United States each year. Because these strokes arise from ruptured aneurysms, which are weak bulging spots in the brain’s blood vessels that arise for unknown reasons at any stage of life, subarachnoid hemorrhages can occur at any time of life.

An SAH is different from the other type of “bleeding stroke,” intracerebral hemorrhage or ICH, which can also result from a ruptured aneurysm or a misformed blood vessel called an arteriovenous malformation.

Both types of bleeding stroke are somewhat more dangerous than ischemic or “blockage” strokes, which result from a clot or other blockage inside a brain blood vessel. Ischemic strokes account for more than 85 percent of U.S. strokes.

The signs of an SAH usually include a sudden, extremely severe headache, often compared to a “thunderclap” inside the head. Patients may also experience neck pain, nausea and vomiting, or may lose consciousness.

No matter what the signs, a stroke or suspected stroke of any kind is a life-threatening emergency and needs immediate medical attention, says Morgenstern. Although SAH carries daunting odds, it can be treated if a patient reaches a hospital where a neurosurgeon or interventional radiologist can close off the ruptured aneurysm and stop the bleeding.

The BASIC study, including the analysis performed for the new study, is funded by the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke.

In addition to Morgenstern and Eden, the authors include William Meurer, M.D., Melinda A. Smith, DrPH, MPH, and Devin Brown, M.D., M.S., of the U-M Medical School, and Brisa Sanchez, Ph.D., and Lynda Lisabeth, Ph.D., MPH, of the U-M School of Public Health.”*

Today accentmarketing, Chevrolet’s Hispanic agency of record since 1998, announced the recent promotions of account management and creative personnel on its talented team that services Chevrolet.

-  Yareli Esteban has been promoted to Group Vice President, Management Supervisor. During the past three and a half years, Yareli has made a significant impact on Chevy’s regional business with her strategic marketing skills, and has excelled in building collaboration within Chevrolet’s roster of agency partners, while overseeing the brand’s Hispanic efforts in the South and North Central Regions of the country.   Yareli has launched many innovative regional programs focused on maximizing media and promotional opportunities for key nameplates including Silverado, Tahoe and Cobalt. With a deep understanding of the retail marketplace under her belt, Yareli is well poised to lead Chevrolet’s national and regional US Hispanic marketing initiatives in an integrated manner.

-  Sergio Rodriguez has been promoted to Vice President, Group Creative Director.  At accentmarketing since 2005, Sergio has led the development of Chevrolet’s national Hispanic targeted creative that has successfully launched Malibu, HHR, Cobalt, Tahoe and the redesigned Silverado.  Sergio’s creative work for the launch of the new Silverado, the “Milestones” TV spot, was recognized with an ADDY® Award  in 2007.  In his new and expanded role, Sergio will lead the Chevy creative team, while overseeing both national and regional creative development for the Chevrolet brand.

-  Christy Schiffer has been promoted to Vice President, Group Account Director on the Chevrolet national business, reporting to Yareli Esteban. Christy has been instrumental in the growth of the business and was responsible for the successful Malibu multi-platform launch earlier this year. In addition to her recent successes on the Chevrolet account, Christy brings 10 years of automotive advertising expertise to accentmarketing.

-   Kurt Kruger has been promoted to Group Account Director, Chevy regional advertising and fulfillment.  Since joining accentmarketing in 2006, Kurt has developed a deep understanding of Chevy’s business needs in addressing the Hispanic market across the US.  His commitment to accentmarketing and to Chevrolet’s growth, his energy level and drive are a big asset to accentmarketing’s Chevrolet service team.  Kurt, too, will report to Yareli Esteban.

“I am confident this talented, strategic and capable leadership team will excel in their new roles and continue to bring energy and excitement to the business.” said Lisette Hoyo, EVP Client Services Director, and Managing Partner.

About accentmarketing

Established in 1993, accentmarketing (www.accentmarketing.com) is a full service Hispanic Integrated Marketing Communications agency with a staff of 90 throughout its offices in Miami, Detroit, Los Angeles and Dallas.  A member of The Interpublic Group of Companies, minority-owned accentmarketing employs a multinational and multicultural staff.  The agency’s client roster includes: the American Heart Association, Alltel Wireless, Brown-Forman, General Motors, Kaiser Permanente, Farmers Insurance, the United States Navy and USA.gov.

Children in U.S. households where English is not the primary language experience multiple disparities in health care, a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher has found.

In a study available in June’s online issue of Pediatrics, Dr. Glenn Flores, professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern and lead author, used statistics from the National Survey of Children’s Health to examine whether disparities exist for non-English primary language (NEPL) children in medical and dental health compared to households where English is the primary language.

“Although 55 million Americans speak a language other than English at home, there has been little research on health disparities and NEPL children,” said Dr. Flores, who holds the Judith and Charles Ginsburg Chair in Pediatrics at UT Southwestern. “To my knowledge this is the first analysis to examine the impact of NEPL on medical and dental health, access to care and use of services in a nationally representative sample of U.S. children.”

	Dr. Glenn Flores

Conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the survey used nationwide random sampling of households with children ages 18 and under. One child from each household was selected as the survey subject with 102,353 interviews of household caregivers completed in 2003 and 2004 in both English and Spanish. The survey is the largest and most diverse containing data on the primary languages spoken at home.

The researchers found that children in households where English is not the primary language are significantly more likely than children in English-speaking households to be poor and Latino or Asian/Pacific Islander. The NEPL children are also more likely to be overweight, have only fair or poor dental health, and be uninsured or sporadically insured. These children also made no medical or preventive dental visits during the previous year and had problems attaining specialty care.

“These children are more likely to live in low-income households,” said Dr. Flores, who also serves as director of the division of general pediatrics at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. “Clinicians providing care for them should make sure caregivers are aware of programs documented to benefit poor children. Providing all children with health and dental insurance could significantly reduce barriers to health and dental care for NEPL children.”

Nonfinancial-related barriers appeared also to hamper NEPL children’s access to care. The survey showed that caregivers in NEPL households were often dissatisfied with physicians and health care providers who did not spend enough time with a child or explain things in an understandable way.

To identify, monitor and eliminate health care disparities, Dr. Flores recommends health care institutions and systems routinely collect data on the primary language spoken at home for all patients. He says improved access to medical interpreters, better cultural competency training and more family-centered health care systems could eliminate barriers to care.

In a previous study, Dr. Flores surveyed hospitals in New Jersey to assess current language services and identify policy recommendations on meeting the needs of patients with limited English proficiency.

He found that most New Jersey hospitals had no full-time interpreters, multilingual hospital signage or translation services. A substantial majority of the hospitals’ representatives surveyed stated that third-party reimbursements for interpreter services would benefit their hospitals.

“In Texas alone, 7.3 million families speak languages other than English at home,” Dr. Flores said. “It’s imperative that our health care system recognizes on a nationwide scale how language is affecting health care for NEPL children.”

Sandra Tomany-Korman of Signature Science, LLC, also contributed to the Pediatrics study.”*

LATINA Style Magazine, the premier magazine addressing the needs of established Latina & Women entrepreneurs in the U.S., will celebrate the 2008 LATINA Style Business Series (LSBS) 10 Year Anniversary Tour in Atlanta, GA, June 19, 2008, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown, 590 West Peach Tree NW, Atlanta, GA, 30308.

The LATINA Style Business Series is the most successful ongoing business development program for Latina business owners in the nation. Over 17,000 Latina entrepreneurs and professionals have benefited from participating in this exciting and informative one-day business program since it first launched in 1998. The focus of the 2008 Series will be to provide a platform for women business owners who are looking to position their enterprises to succeed at the next level.

The 2008 LSBS title sponsor is Macy’s Inc. National sponsors include: AFLAC, Principal Financial Group, Sam’s Club, State Farm Insurance, United Healthcare and Wal-Mart. The series beverage sponsor is PepsiCo and its brands Aquafina and Propel.

Macy’s has partnered with one of their cosmetic brands, LANCOME, to feature an all-day cosmetics lounge. Additionally, Macy’s will host a Fashion Seminar “Do’s and Don’ts in Business Attire” that will feature how to transform business outfits into evening wear. Ms. Xanthe Tilden, fashion and entertainment correspondent and producer for CNN en Espanol, will moderate the Macy’s Fashion Show.

The event Co-chairs are Sandra Font, Interim President, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Judith Martinez-Sadri, Editor-in-Chief, Atlanta Latino. The GHCC is the leading Hispanic business organization whose mission is to promote domestic and international economic development of Hispanic businesses and Hispanic business people to link businesses in Latin America and in Georgia. Atlanta Latino is the largest bilingual weekly newspaper with an audited circulation of 30,000 copies. Atlanta Latino is distributed to over 2,100 points of distribution throughout 13 counties in the Atlanta area in 38 cities. The company also owns and operates metro Atlanta’s premier bilingual website: www.atlantalatino.com .

According to the 2002 Economic Census, a report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 18,310 Hispanic-owned firms in the state of Georgia generating over 4.2 billion dollars in gross receipts. In the city of Atlanta alone there are 14,988 Hispanic-owned businesses generating over 3.2 billion dollars in sales.

In addition, LATINA Style has partnered with the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), LatinVision, Latinos in Information and Sciences Technology Association (LISTA), National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP), National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), National Society of Hispanic MBA’s (NSHMBA), PR Newswire, SCORE, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP). The U.S. Small Business Administration will provide local support and have a presence at the event.

Local Partners include: Atlanta Latino, Atlanta Women’s Network, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Minority Business Enterprise Center, Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, Georgia Women’s Business Council, Groupo Laza, LLC, and Mundo Hispanico. Local radio media partners include: Viva 105.7 and El Patron 105.3.

The event includes exhibits and expert presenters who will speak on the topics of “Securing Capital to Build Capacity,” “Protecting You and Your Investments,” “Successful Marketing Strategies to Sell You and Your Business,” “Latina Entrepreneur Spotlight: Lessons Learned” and “Macy’s Fashion Seminar.” We will feature local business leaders and hear first-hand how they were able to find true business success! These women will share the obstacles they have overcome, their secret to work-life balance, and how they stay motivated in their business. The audience will have the opportunity to interact with all of our panelists during the luncheon.

Registration fee includes: free makeovers at the cosmetic lounge by LANCOME, dynamic panels, high power networking opportunities in the exhibit area, breakfast, lunch, commemorative gift bag, and a two-year subscription to LATINA Style Magazine, for a tremendous value of only $30! Over 70 cities have been visited since the inception of the Business Series in 1998. Since then, it has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Latina, Hispanic, and small-business communities. The Series has been featured on NBC News, ABC News, FOX network, Univision, Telemundo, the San Diego Tribune, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Dallas Morning News, and SBTV. “*

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital(R), the premier pediatric cancer research center, celebrated its sixth annual FedEx/St. Jude Angels & Stars Gala by honoring Emilio and Gloria Estefan for their commitment to international healthcare, the local community, and the music and entertainment industry. The star-studded event took place on May 17, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County

On the red carpet, St. Jude patients rubbed elbows with some of the brightest stars from the Latin music and entertainment industry who came to support Daisy Fuentes, celebrity chair, and her fight against childhood cancer. More than 550 guests were treated to live performances by Luis Fonsi, Jeremías and Valeria Gastaldi. During the night’s entertainment, Emilio Estefan took to the stage alongside Victor Manuelle for an unforgettable impromptu performance. Among the other celebrity guests who came to support St. Jude were Candela Ferro, Khotan Fernandez, Fanny Lu, Ana María Canseco, Lili Estefan, Génesis Rodríguez, María Celeste Arrarás and philanthropist Adrienne Arsht.

“It was truly wonderful to see the Hispanic community of South Florida come together to support St. Jude,” said John P. Moses, Chief Executive Officer for ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude. “Thanks to the supporters and sponsors of this gala, St. Jude is able to provide hope for sick children and their families from all over the world.”

The money raised from this event will help St. Jude continue its groundbreaking research and lifesaving care for children from across the country and around the world who are battling cancer and other deadly diseases. Two other special guests for the evening were St. Jude patients Lucas Solberg and Stephan Boehme Gutierrez, who shared their story of survival with guests. The gala also included a cocktail reception and silent auction, which included a shopping spree at Saks Fifth Avenue and dinner for 10 with artist Romero Britto.

The Estefans join other top Latin artists and entertainers who have supported the lifesaving mission of St. Jude over the past few years, including Antonio Banderas, Jimmy Smits, Daisy Fuentes, Cristian Castro, Luis Enrique, José Feliciano, Luis Fonsi, Jeremías, Fanny Lu, Carlos Ponce, Gilberto Santa Rosa and the late Soraya.

Gala sponsors included FedEx Express, Stanford Financial Group, Universal Music Latino, VISA International, Univision Radio, Anthony R. Abraham Foundation, Maya, Southern Wine and Spirits of South Florida, Sea Latino, The “M” Point, KPMG, Yahoo! Telemundo, Telefonica, DDB, Car Factory Outlet, Lopez-Cantera Foundation, CB Richard Ellis, Coors Brewing Company, Inktel Direct, Jefferson Lee Ford III Memorial Foundation, Zubi Advertising, The Paper Fetish, The Miami Herald, Ocean Drive en Español, Merrill Lynch, Leon Medical Centers and Grey Goose Vodka.

For more information on this event, or for information on next year’s gala, please call 1-800-278-3383 or visit www.stjude.org/miamigala.

ABOUT ST. JUDE CHLDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tennessee. St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. For more information, please visit www.stjude.org.”*

The Latino Health Insurance Program, founded in 2006, has enrolled more than 1,000 Massachusetts children and families in subsidized and unsubsidized healthcare plans, said Dr. Milagros Abreu, the program’s director. The program, which is run by the Boston University School of Public Health and administered in East Boston, officially expanded to Boston’s western suburbs in December, enrolling 200 families in health insurance programs. A $100,000 grant obtained by the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation in April will help provide the program’s services to area residents.

Part of the program’s objective is to train bilingual and bicultural members of the community to serve as case managers, offering information to potential clients and helping them enroll in eligible programs, its director said.”*