Ruiz Wins IAC Grant to Study Cuban Health System

Maria Elena Ruiz, who served as CSRC associate director for 2010-12, was awarded an Institute of American Cultures (IAC) grant for research assistance during the 2012-13 academic year for a literature review on the Cuban health system with regard to its implications for the U.S. Affordable Care Act. In her proposal, Ruiz provided a brief overview of what has worked under the Cuban model of universal community-based health care, and that these successes "suggest that the proposed Affordable Care Act in the U.S. may present us with some creative approaches for improving health care to Latino communities in Los Angeles and the nation."