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When Fernando Cardoza's son was diagnosed with a disease that affects his immune system, the recent immigrant from Peru began looking for a local support network.

But the Latino community in Western Pennsylvania was all but invisible, the Monroeville man said.

Yesterday, Cardoza joined a dozen other local Latino leaders gathered in Squirrel Hill to kick off a health care initiative they hope will put the minority group onto the region's radar screen and -- more important -- help more Latinos to get and stay well.

"Health is hugely important to us," Cardoza said. "Health is an important rallying cry."

Under this initiative, health care workers will use a nationally recognized assessment process to examine the health of the region's Latinos.

An English and Spanish resource guide on breast cancer will be distributed, and expanded health services catering to Latinos will be provided two nights a week at the Hilltop Community Health Center, a new community clinic in Beltzhoover supported by federal grants.

Although Latinos make up only about 1 percent of Allegheny County's population, their numbers are growing. In Allegheny County alone, the Latino population increased 28 percent to 11,116 in 2000 from 8,700 in 1990.

Many local Latinos came here to study or work at universities and their origins are more diverse than those who settled in other major cities. At least two-thirds of the area's Latinos hail from South America. In nearly all of the cities that have seen recent influx of Latinos, Mexicans tend to be the overwhelming majority, according to the U.S. Census.

Promoting health in this growing minority community is crucial to the growth of the entire state, said Cathy Bazan-Arias, who 20 years ago settled in Pittsburgh with her family from Mexico City and represents the county on the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs.

Since October, Cardoza and Bazan-Arias have been trained in a Latino health advocacy and leadership program offered by the statewide organization.

As part of the new initiative, the Magee-Womens Hospital will give Latinas mammography screenings in a way that makes them more comfortable with the procedure. The screenings are expected to be done by staff members who have some command of Spanish or Portuguese.

Nationally, only 58 percent of all Latinas have regular screenings, compared to 68 percent of black and white women, according to American Cancer Society. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among Latinas, according to the organization's data.

The initiative's leaders are also planning to gear up their outreach efforts during the Hispanic Heritage Month in September.

The leaders said spreading health awareness will involve the entire family, from toddlers to grandparents, because Latinos care deeply how health troubles affect loved ones.

"We rally around health because it resonates with a lot of the core values of being a Latino," said Jaime Munoz, an instructor in occupational therapy at Duquesne University.

Yesterday's kickoff begins a long-term effort, they said.

"This initiative is not a flash in the pan. It's here to stay," Bazan-Arias said. "The Latinos in Pittsburgh are here to stay."

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