Robin Strongin
Hi everybody, Robin Strongen here with Health Dame, and I'm particularly excited today to welcome you, ⁓ Jeanette Contreras, otherwise known as Jet. and we actually go back to National Consumers League. We each had a there when we helped run the health program. So a little bit of intersection in our backgrounds, but we've gone on to do interesting and and other very important work and I'm really excited to learn a lot more about what you're doing now and how you got where you are. So you are founder and executive director of a relatively new organization the Organization for Latino Health Advocacy. So tell me little bit, if you would, about How this came to fruition and why this is a particularly meaningful next chapter for you and the the amount of time and work that you're putting into this. ⁓
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah, thank you. Yeah, first of all, thank you for inviting me. And it's so wonderful to sit across from you, Health Day. I'm a fan of the podcast. Thank you. Yeah. You do great work too. So ⁓ the love is mutual here. Good. Yeah, I actually was was gifted with an intentional pause in my career, I call it, when I found myself in between jobs and I took some time.
Robin Strongin
Good, absolutely.
Jeanette Contreras
To really think about what I wanted to do next, right? I I kind of have the privilege to say, okay, after 20 plus years in health policy, what do I really want to do next? And everywhere I sort of I was talking to people everywhere I went, I sort of talked about how, well, you know, we really do need a Latino health advocacy organization. And and to be honest, it it was almost a Latina health advocacy organization.
Robin Strongin
Yeah, I could imagine the temptation.
Jeanette Contreras
Temptation was so great. Especially because our my ⁓ two other co-founders are Latinas. So literally there were three Latinas sitting together as we were putting together the strategy for this. but it was it was born about because there was no real large presence, you know, to to do consumer health advocacy for the Latino community. I think that I knew enough to be dangerous and I said, hey, I can probably raise the money for this. And I can probably see this through. So almost from one day to the next I filed paperwork to become a five ⁓ one C three and then
Robin Strongin
Amazing. Which is not easy to do, having done it myself, it's it can be done. The the filing of the paperwork is manageable. It's everything else that gets wrapped around standing up an organization. it's let alone the raising of the funding is ⁓ not without challenges for sure.
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah, especially during ⁓ well say I filed in November of twenty twenty four and we had just learned of the outcome of the elections and then launching an organization with Latino in the name. I spoke to was like, Are you sure you want to do this? Are you good like, you know, for raising money? And I was like, ⁓ it you know. I'm leaning in. ⁓
Robin Strongin
If you don't do it now when they need it. Yeah.
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah, I'm leaning in. I I'm not apologizing. I'm I'm you know it's
Robin Strongin
Should you? Yeah, absolutely. And you did it. You did it. So there it is. So now that the organization is up and running, you have folks part of the team, your team is expanding. I know I just recently received an amazing policy brief with some pretty staggering data and statistics that we're gonna get into.
Jeanette Contreras
No.
Robin Strongin
One of the things I absolutely love that you're doing ⁓ because it's something at Health Dame that is a real focus and ⁓ you know very much central to the work that I'm trying to do is an intergenerational component and the appreciation of all wisdom from different ages. And you have a youth advisory board, which gets me very excited. And it's not one or two people. I mean it's a significant number of young people. What was your thinking behind that and what is their role? And bravo for doing that because now I don't think enough organizations take the time to really hear in a systematic way young people are in whatever the issue is. And how they get and share information which of course in healthcare is the matter of life and death. So what what is their role and your vision for them?
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah, well their role is to provide, you know, their lived experience, to provide their input. We actually during the ⁓ development of the Latina policy brief, and all of them were we're about to launch the access policy brief next week. the policy committees get to to review it one more time before it goes live. but it is it is drafted. And what we tried to do was create an internal review process where we're Reaching voices from our our youngest is 19 years old. He's a a college student at University of Texas and the oldest is 29 years old. And you know, there are young professionals with, you know, a few jobs under their belt already. But we I almost should be calling it a young adult advisory board. I call it the youth advisory board. We were just having a meeting today about that. Yeah. ⁓ because ⁓ the the reason for its impetus, why I said why we need their voice at the table and when we're developing our policies is is because one in four children in the US today is Latino or Hispanic descent. and it it was really shocking to me that, you know, we don't have like something prepped for these, you know, children as they grow up, you know, in five years, right? They'll be 24. They'll be, you know. these are going to be the future workforce of America. They are we want to make sure that they're they're healthy, we want to make sure that they're engaged in the policy making process for them to understand what advocacy is. And so ⁓ when thought about the the why, why I'm doing this, right? It's for the young people. I I thought ⁓ they need be at the table. ⁓ additionally, the age for Latinos in the US. broadly, generally, is excused a lot younger than the regular non-Hispanic white population. So the average age for Latinos in the US is thirty one.
Robin Strongin
wow, that is wow, wow, wow. ⁓
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah, so they're millennials, right? So these are the are the Xennials. They're really young people. They're beginning, they're the ones that are struggling with student loan debt. They're the ones that feeling like they're priced out of the housing market. You know, so this is a demographic that we we want to reach to make sure that they understand the role of healthcare in in their overall well being. I I always say that we can't achieve our full potential without our health. unless you've lived through something, you know, it it you don't really see that, you know? No.
Robin Strongin
And serve on a board that deals with young adults with chronic conditions. And so it's a really challenging, ⁓ all young adults are healthy, ⁓ ⁓ often happens ⁓ diseases that ⁓ to afflict very young children ⁓ of technology and innovation have now allowed these children to live much longer. However, They continue to live with very serious chronic conditions. ⁓ they hit 24, ⁓ they hit other ages, they age out of pediatrics, they age out of health insurance on their parents' insurance plans, but they're left to navigate tremendously complicated health conditions. And as their support system, whether it's parents or other loved ones who are assisting them, are aging themselves. They're left to fend for themselves in a system that is anything but patient-friendly. ⁓ know, so ⁓ I'm so pleased to see that you have this robust group of people that you're working with. And also for us to learn from them. And one of the areas I know you and I have talked about, and I've talked about probably nonstop, is where do people go for information? Who are they listening to? What Wha what's a trusted source of information? When you're, you know, 19 years old or 24 or 29, you're going to different websites and different the way you get your health care or figure out who your health provider is is very different than if you're in your 60s, you know, like me. And so it's interesting. But ⁓ back to the general mission of the organization itself. I know that ⁓ we've talked about some of the priority areas, but why don't you share for our listeners what some of the the top issues are that that you are working pretty tirelessly on? I see you at almost every event in Washington. You are you are there and you are making noise. So what are some of the top issues that you are really looking to get policy makers to to pay some serious attention to so that action can be taken, which is not easy now, especially at the federal level as we know.
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah, well the the biggest top line item is youth mental health. So I'm actually speaking at the National Latino Behavioral Health Association meeting this fall. And it's sit doing a panel talk with Mental Health America, Dr. Paredes there. She's fantastic. She and I did a a panel at the American Public Health Association meeting last And it was the focus of that talk was youth social connectedness. And and it's kind of like how do we go from where COVID was, where these, you know, children were isolated, then now they're coming as to young adults and with social media, you know, are youth less socially connected now, right? How are they reaching that and how important is that to their mental health? so we talk about things like social capital, ⁓ community, you know, I think it's hard for young people ⁓ to to feel supported if they don't find their community. Sure. And so focus of the talk ⁓ to show how when we're actually engaging youth and learning from them, ⁓ Have again having them ⁓ at the table. So we're talking to ⁓ health specialists, right? Behavioral health professionals. And have so much data. So Americ the Mental Health America has amazing data. from youth that fill out their surveys that, you know, talk about, you know, their struggles. And so they share that perspective. And then I get to share the perspective of when we're in the community. And so one of our goals, and to kind of come back to the mission of OLA, we call it Organization for Latino Health Advocacy, we call it OLA, OLH A, is to do community informed research. So we call it CDPR, community-based participatory research.
Robin Strongin
I love that.
Jeanette Contreras
And through our partnership with USA Boxing, we're we're going into communities, boxing gyms, and talking to the youth, twelve to seventeen year olds. Now these are youth.
Robin Strongin
Yeah, yeah, for sure. ⁓
Jeanette Contreras
Wow. That is how comparing the world.
Robin Strongin
Amazing
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah, we're teaching them about health insurance. How does it work? What's a copay? You know, what how do you get a doctor in our provider network, right? you know, what are your out of pocket costs? And then you what to do when you're in ⁓ a visit, right? What are you doing? You're getting your vaccines, you're getting your you know, your blood work done, you're, you know, all of those things, kind of demystifying it, but explaining it to them. So we're engaging ⁓ youth leaders at the different boxing gyms and have a parent engagement as well. So fantastic. Kids are there to do their you know boxing. We're we're getting the parents there as well. And we're talking to them in California specifically for this project. the Medi-Cal enrollment changes, ACA enrollment changes, right? Everything that's coming down the pike in January 2027, explaining Medicaid work requirements, explaining the know advanced premium tax credits, the the subsidies for ACA, the changes there, and just really explaining, you know, what health insurance is is going on. So so it's more eligibility and enrollment for for them. while we're there, we're engaging with the the youth and and learning from them, you know, what are your challenges? Tell us what you you know think about the health of this country. Tell us what's going on. And then we're explaining to them what is advocacy 101.
Robin Strongin
What is some of the the the feedback you're getting from the young, like twelve and thirteen year olds? What's on their minds when it comes to health care? Are they willing to just put it out there? Are they shy? Kids are pretty open today, aren't they? Or less so?
Jeanette Contreras
They are. Yeah, I have a thirteen and a fourteen year old and they'll tell you what you what they think.
Robin Strongin
that's true. my Anything surprising coming out of the or are you early on and it's too soon to really know? ⁓
Jeanette Contreras
I think that what's really surprising is one how open the youth are and the young adults that I'm working with. So we really are early in the work process here. and so I think that what surprised me is ⁓ from the DC perspective, how much of a need there was for an organization like Ola. I thought that it was going to be probably little bit more a little smaller, a little more siloed. But now I see that it was definitely needed. And even the other organizations like the National Hispanic Medical Association or the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, you know, they ⁓ they can't on consumer health issues. You know, their role, their their mission is to provide professional development and you know continuing education credits and medical education, you know, for their their ⁓ members. And so they're they're different, right? But they've always been the larger voices. And so ⁓ they're looking to us now and saying, ⁓ can we partner? Right. And and so it's it's wonderful to see the synergies with, you know, us working with the other organizations in the space. there is a need for ⁓ You know, the national there so one for I'll I wanted to mention this in in our talk was that ⁓ though we did the Latina health policy brief, yeah we left out reproductive justice in it as much as we wanted to put that in there, there is ⁓ National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, and they do amazing work. And I wanted to fill a gap and fill a need and we there's no need to duplicate efforts when there is an organization that's already doing that. And we can co-host congressional briefings, we we work together. of my dearest friends, you know, are are there. And so I think that you know I wanted to sort of lay out ⁓ that we're we're working knowing what the other what the rest of the ecosystem is working on in terms of Latino ⁓ health advocacy. There's also the National Coalition for ⁓ the I'm sorry, the Hispanic Council on Aging. Right. Right. Right. The National Hispanic Council on Aging, Nicoa. And so ⁓ are focuses on older Latin Americans. Right. So it's then ⁓ like not a youth focused organization because we're definitely focused on that 31 year old. I call her, I call her a 31 year old Latina ⁓ who's kids, who's Who's got a bachelor's degree, who's maybe buying a home on her own, and then taking care of her her elders, right? Maybe Abuela that raised her, her grandparents or her parents who are aging. And so who I think of as my my my customer, my demographic that we need to really be advocating for. And it could be, you know, a family, right? Because these are 31 year olds. They're in there raising families, right? Or in the thick of careers, building careers for themselves.
Robin Strongin
And you are also looking Yeah, no, I think that's really very helpful and it's great to shout out that there are these other organizations that are ⁓ into some of the other work and obviously you share along, but you know you know, where you're doing the hard work hasn't been done before or enough work hasn't been done ⁓ ⁓
Jeanette Contreras
⁓ yeah, I just wanted to mention that that yeah.
Robin Strongin
It's are you are you working at the state levels as well you mentioned California is where you're doing the boxing issue. So it really is both federal and state level advocacy, wherever you can make that, you know, inroad, that's where you're we're gonna find you and your team working, I assume, especially as time.
Jeanette Contreras
We have yeah, we're actually working on some projects that focus on civic engagement because there is such a correlation, right? I feel like I'm almost using health policy as a way to teach civic engagement because advocacy 101 or patient advocacy, sure, it is explaining civic engagement, right? So it's beyond what else can you do beyond voting? You know, there we have a right to redress grievances to our government. Yeah. That is is a right, right? And so explaining that to ⁓ community, I think is the first level of empowerment. Yeah. Right. That is saying, you know, you have a voice and your voice is powerful. And so that's why we need to be in community. There's always been what we wanted to do was connect ⁓ to the community and be that bridge. And by explaining to community that ⁓ can do this every day. From their home, they can go to the district office and you know, invite their member of Congress to come to their community event. They can engage with policymakers at the state, local, even their school board, right? Yep, absolutely.
Robin Strongin
That's a very powerful.
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah. At the local level. Yeah. Yeah. So that's advocacy one ⁓ one. That's what we're teaching.
Robin Strongin
For sure. That's great. ⁓ my God. And ⁓ I did want there are some c campaigns that you guys are getting ⁓ involved with. One in particular we had talked about, and I wish you would spend a little bit ⁓ of time telling me. I wrote it down and now of course I can't find it. It was ⁓ read is it read my lips, read my lip. What what's the campaign you're doing with the Society for Women's Health?
Jeanette Contreras
That's right. We're in So we're involved with the Read My Lit scheme, which is a cardiovascular health education campaign in in partnership with the Society for Women's Health Research. And so we've joined as a partner to do their Spanish language outreach. it's it's just in its launch, we've just launched, but we we're looking to do some engagement around it. You know, folks.
Robin Strongin
Thanks.
Jeanette Contreras
don't know first of all who Society for Women's Health Research is. we're we're trying to get out there and just, you know, bring them in again with heart health, right? Cardiovascular health, understand what your lipid panel is, understand you know, your your blood work is is supposed to look like. You know, I didn't understand it before. You know, we talk about bad cholesterol, good cholesterol. You know, if we could teach people to ⁓ understand this,
Robin Strongin
these are not ⁓
Jeanette Contreras
You know, I was just talking to ⁓ a nutritionist as well.
Robin Strongin
yeah, ⁓ ⁓ I think I remember reading in the Latina policy brief, the health policy brief, that cardiovascular disease was the number one killer. And so it, you know, so obviously attention the more one can learn about it. And there are basic things that are not ⁓ so difficult, your cholesterol medication and so forth. I mean Learning how to eat healthy, you mentioned a nutritionist, food insecurity is a big problem, but there are certainly ways to manage diet, where to go, resources to help, and but it all starts with a basic understanding of what you need to be ⁓ for and and ⁓ and how you do that. So that's really cool that you guys are linking up like that. That's amazing, terrific. Yeah. And I think you're also doing some work with veterans. When we were talking, are you starting to get into the area of veterans health and military spouses? And there's some work there too, if I remember correctly.
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah, that's right. We are working with Clean Air Force Moms on an environmental health campaign. And they have a group, a subgroup called Eco Madres. So ECO and then madres is mom in Spanish. So it's it's basically Eco Moms. it's a bilingual campaign. ⁓ but it's really cool because it When we look at the Latino community, I have so many nieces and nephews that that are military, you know, belong to the military or military spouses. ⁓ they come from rural communities and it's just a way for them to get out and see the world, right? They there aren't a whole lot of opportunities in in the rural America that they come from. And so I I see how it became a pretty ⁓ decent option, Yeah. ⁓ You know, then they're veterans, they're you know, maybe after a short term or I've one who just retired, you know, so he's, you know, in his forties and, you know, his kids spent, you know, half their life abroad in Asia, you so it's really cool to see the great stories of ⁓ of And then, ⁓ you the the sadder stories of, you know, the struggles that veterans are ⁓ are
Robin Strongin
⁓ my god.
Jeanette Contreras
experiencing and and one ⁓ I I wanna do a shout out to Rosa Crusin, my policy advisor. So she just she's ⁓ not just a military spouse but she also spent some time on the Veterans Affairs Committee just recently through a a fellowship with the American political society ⁓ yeah American political science association. Okay. ⁓ and so veterans help In in veterans issues is her jam. She did her PhD in ⁓ on the GI Bill ⁓ in in public administration and and how it impacted it improved right outcomes in the in for veterans and and and it it's just ⁓ you know, my father was a veteran also of the Korean War. A lot of people have similar stories.
Robin Strongin
Okay. You know firsthand. Yeah, yeah.
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah, all the great benefits. You know, my father purchased our home the year before I was born. They they bought their their home on the, you know, with the vet loan. Yep. And a VA loan. And and my mother is still living there. It's still my my childhood home is still there. Wow.
Robin Strongin
⁓ before I let you go, I have to ask you my final question that I ask everybody, which is to share a song that reflects the work that you are doing so that we can add it to the Health Dame playlist. So what is your songjet? Have my pen ready.
Jeanette Contreras
my gosh. So Sia is one of my favorite artists. ⁓ She an amazing songwriter. She writes songs for everybody and her work is so deeply personal. but Unstoppable, think, sums it up for me. ⁓
Robin Strongin
There you go, that's perfect. I love beautiful, fabulous. I'm getting the best playlist in town, I think. I ha I can't wait to I'm gonna start. I mean it's up on Spotify, but I'm gonna really start pushing it out because every song is so and when you hear why people pick their songs, it just it's perfect. Every single song has been ⁓ So it's wonderful. Anyway, I cannot thank you enough. And I this I hope we get to do many more and some deeper dives into some of the topics that we've talked about today. congratulations on the great work that you and the team are doing. We will have ⁓ along with the interview. resources and links to the websites and the organizations that you shared. So we'll make sure to put all of that up so people can do some additional ⁓ research into those issues. But thank you so much. And ⁓ we will be in touch and we'll look for more opportunities to keep on talking and figuring out some of these policy ch ⁓ challenges because what's one person cannot get it all done. No matter how unstoppable. And the great thing is teamwork. So you have a great day. Thanks for all your time. And ⁓ look forward to continuing the conversation very, very soon. Thank you.
Jeanette Contreras
Yeah.
