Pamela Mokler attended the Health Care Crisis in America: The Hispanic Response Conference in Washington, DC in February. The conference was sponsored by the DC-based The Latino Coalition, Hispanic Business Roundtable, the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and the InterAmerican College of Physicians and Surgeons. The Office on Aging was recognized for the creation of the Latino Senior Coalition, in partner-ship with The Latino Coalition.

Supervisor Jim Silva, District 2 and Mokler attended a briefing at the White House. President George W. Bush, HUD Secretary Mel Martinez, SBA Administrator Hector Barreto and Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina Carbonell met with conference attendees. Carbonell recognized Mokler and the Office on Aging for its work on behalf of Orange County's vulnerable older adults.

The conference also included briefings at the Capitol with key leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN), Senator McCain (AZ), Josh Valdez, Director of HSS Region IX and many others. Mokler and several health care leaders working with Latinos across the country also met with Doug Badger, White House Health Care Senior Advisor, to discuss the White House agenda with regard to Medicare and Medicaid. Many thanks to The Latino Coalition for making this conference possible and for its advocacy on senior health issues.