Photo: Primitivo Castro / Courtesy
Primitivo Castro questions whether his mother would still be alive if she had had adequate medical access in time when she was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer ago 20 years.
Because she had government health insurance, Medi-Cal, she was unable to receive necessary care and passed away at the age of 44 years.
Castro said that he had just graduated from college and when he returned home he realized that something was wrong with his mother. They didn’t know what the disease was, only that she had a very strong pain in her stomach and that’s how it went for more than a month.
“She was misdiagnosed three different times and the last time we took her to a Latino doctor he found out what was going on, she had gallbladder cancer”, said Castro.
At that moment the doctor gave them good and bad news. The good news is that there was a clinical trial at a hospital in Los Angeles County that might help. The bad news is that because I had Medi-Cal I didn’t qualify because there was no agreement between Medi-Cal and that hospital.”
“ Almost years then my brothers and we continue with that doubt about what would have happened if my mother had had access to that clinical trial, to the last minute medicine and if she had survived two, four or more years”, said Castro.
Castro, who is now a father, said that he always noticed that his mother worried about taking him and his siblings to the doctor but never worried about her herself.
“As the father of four girls, my wife and I always worry about going to the doctor to make sure it doesn’t happen again” Said the Latino from 10 years.
His mother’s situation led Castro to become a defender of health measures for low-income people. He, along with thousands of others in California, celebrated Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of the California Cancer Care Equity Fund, which expands access to specialty cancer care for Medi-Cal patients.
The measure SB 1024, considered historical, enters into force on January 1st 2023 and will allow Medi-Cal patients to have access to specialized cancer care, such as: genomic testing, precision medicine-based care , experience in subspecialties and clinical trials.
The law, co-authored by Senator Anthony Portantino and a coalition led by City of Hope, is intended to be an example to the nation of how a more equitable cancer ecosystem can be created.
By expanding access to cutting-edge, life-saving treatments to historically underserved communities, you will help give more patients a second chance at life.
How the law works
It is estimated that about One and a half million people in California are Medi-Cal recipients, said Dr. Joe Alvarnas, professor of hematology and vice president for government affairs at City of Hope.
He explained that this law now allows those who have advanced cancer, who qualify under the program, to receive care from the National Cancer Institute, comprehensive cancer centers within a state or a qualified academic center.
“The reason that is important is because for many patients with advanced cancers, the need of clinical trials is extraordinary, because clinical trials can often bring new treatments to patients that would not otherwise exist,” explained the doctor.
In addition, this law allows patients with very complex cancers to receive care from the best experts in the United States who understand their cancer at a very deep level.
And you can use tools like genetic testing and genomic testing to help define new treatment possibilities for them.
Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanics in the United States and represents the 10% of deaths, according to the American Cancer Society/Cancer Action Network (ASC CAN). In a national study, the % of Hispanics reported that the quality of care available was a barrier to accessing cancer care services.
Among the Latino population the risk may be higher, especially for stomach cancer and liver cancer and some of the other risks is that people may be diagnosed with cancer at a more advanced stage, especially for breast cancer and neck cancer uterus.
“This is why we make sure that the best potential treatments and the best clinical trials can reach the members of our community without delay”, said the doctor.
Castro knew that when the governor signed the SB law 987 hope returned to many families .
“It does not mean that this is going to be the only solution, we still have to give the message to the entire Latino community that the community has to get its proper medical check-ups,” Castro said.