In December of 2003, a prescription drug benefit was added to Medicare. The benefit includes a temporary drug discount card, which began in June 2004 and ends with the start of the permanent prescription drug benefit in January 2006. To ensure that low-income elderly Latinos fully utilize the benefits as outlined in the new law, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) has joined with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to develop a community-based outreach program in four selected areas.

Through its extensive affiliate network, NCLR is positioned to implement a campaign that will reach a sizeable number of Latino seniors in key locations. NCLR will work through its affiliate network in the District of Columbia, Oakland, Miami, and Chicago, to ensure that elderly Latinos in those locations have access to information on the Medicare Rx benefit in a culturally relevant manner. This will be accomplished in two ways: use of promotores de salud (lay health educators) and via media contacts.

NCLR has partnered with La Clínica de la Raza (Oakland, CA), Alivio Medical Center (Chicago, IL), La Clínica del Pueblo (Washington, DC), and Abriendo Puertas (Miami, FL) to implement this multifaceted campaign, which aims to reach low-income elderly Latinos and encourage them to sign up to receive a Medicare-approved drug discount card.

Each selected community-based organization (CBO) will receive training for their promotores de salud, collateral materials, and assistance in the placement of public service announcements to informe seniors on where to call for assistance in signing up for a card. CBOs will conduct two community workshops for seniors or their family members, have trained staff who can answer basic questions on the benefit, participate in local media interviews, and disseminate information to potential beneficiaries at their sites. The campaign will launch in mid-November and will continue through the end of December 2004.