Quotes: 'The fact that all of her medical providers did not speak, and barely understood, her primary language of Spanish is negligent.' - Milta Vega-Cardona about her mother, Natividad Vega- Cardona, who died from diabetes

"When we create systems that give different quality of care to people based upon their insurance status, we are discriminating based upon race, and we should not be surprised to see people of color having worse health outcomes," said [Neil Calman], president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Urban Family Health in the city. The institute received a grant in 1999 from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to form Bronx Health REACH, which examines racial and ethnic health disparities in the southwest Bronx and works to eliminate them.

Vega-Cardona, of the Bronx, who works as a women's health advocate and plans to attend the rally, said people of color struggle constantly to receive equal access to medical care.