Research Project 4
The Learning Curve: An Investigation of Healthcare Access to Latino Community College Students in Ventura County
By Kassandra Barragan
As the Latino population continues to grow in the United States, Latinos still suffer from issues that have plagued the community for years, such as insufficient access to healthcare. While Latinos have lower rates of health insurance and access to healthcare resources, people with a higher education have better health and health services access.
Despite the emphasis on research demonstrating individuals who have a higher education may increase healthcare access and quality, there is not as much emphasis on healthcare access and quality for people actively pursuing higher education. The project focused on researching access amongst the intersecting demographic by investigating if Latino college students in Ventura County have access to healthcare through evaluating health services offered by community colleges and access students off-campus resources.
Learn more about this research project here
About Cassandra
B.S. Biology, Double Minor in Chemistry & Psychology
Kassandra Barragan is a senior at California Lutheran University. She has experience volunteering in hospitals and participating as a member of Tri Beta, AMSA, and AMSA Medical Humanities Scholars Program. As Latinos continue to grow as one of the largest minorities in the United States, they still remain a largely underserved community. Latinos in low-income and densely populated areas have historically suffered from the consequences of inadequate healthcare. According to Kassandra’s personal experience and research, Healthcare is rampant with systematic barriers to resources for those who need them most. Issues of healthcare access result in problems and inaccessibility of higher education and long-term job opportunities. She aspires to have a career in the medical field and return to local communities to help disenfranchised populations by addressing discrepancies in healthcare. Their fellowship with ASCENSO explores student health care issues of local community college students and ways to address them.
September, 2023 Next Project