What is the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S.?
A. The population of Hispanic patients is growing rapidly. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2005 Hispanics were nearly 15 percent of the overall population – making Hispanics the largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the nation. There are disproportionately few Hispanic health providers. Consider nurses, who constitute the “front line” of health care: In 2004, only 1.8 percent of registered nurses in the U.S. were Hispanic, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hispanics have the lowest level of health insurance among U.S. racial/ethnic groups, and Hispanics in Virginia have the lowest percentage of mothers beginning prenatal care in the first trimester.
