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Hispanic Heritage Month is here!
This annual U.S. observance, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, celebrates the histories and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
We at Salud America! invite you to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in these surprising ways.
1. Learn How Hispanic Heritage Month Began
U.S. Congressmen Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles and Henry B. Gonzales were among those who introduced legislation on the topic in 1968.
President Lyndon Johnson implemented the observance as Hispanic Heritage Week that year.
U.S. Rep. Esteban E. Torres of Pico Rivera proposed the observance be expanded to cover its current 30-day period.
President Ronald Reagan implemented the expansion to Hispanic Heritage Month. It went into law on August 17, 1988.
2. Find Out Why Hispanic Heritage Month Starts on Sept. 15
Sept. 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, according to the U.S. Library of Congress.
In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18.
Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is Oct. 12, falls within the 30-day period of Hispanic Heritage Month.
3. Speak Up to Limit Sugar in Dietary Guidelines!
A few years ago, scientists advised federal leaders to adjust the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to lower added sugar intake from 10% to 6% of daily calories and reduce men’s daily alcohol intake from two to one drink a day.
That advice was not taken.
Now those scientists – the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee – are asking for public comment as they again prepare to recommend changes to the dietary guidelines.
This is an opportunity to speak up for nutrition!
Submit a model comment created by Salud America! to urge lower added sugar and alcohol intake in the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans!
The comment period opened Jan. 19, 2023. Comments will close in late 2024.
4. Register for the ASCL Conference!
To address the heavy burden of cancer, you can register now for UT Health San Antonio’s 4th biennial ASCL conference Feb. 21-23, 2024, at the Marriott Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas.
The conference will welcome researchers, physicians, community leaders, patient leaders, and students from across the country to tackle cancer from prevention to treatment to survivorship.
“ASCL is a place where we can share research, experience, and action to translate basic research into clinical best practices, effective community interventions, and professional training programs to eliminate cancer health issues for Latinos and all people,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, who directs the Salud America! program and the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio. The IHPR will co-host the conference with the NCI-designated Mays Cancer Center.
See five reasons you should register now for the conference!
5. Download a ‘Health Report Card’ for Your City with Local Data on Housing, Healthcare, and More!
How is the state of health in your community?
Find out by downloading a Salud America! Health Report Card for your town!
Enter your county name and get auto-generated local data with interactive maps and comparative gauges on several health indicators. This can help you visualize and explore local issues in education, housing, transportation, food, health, and more.
See how your county stacks up compared to the rest of your state and nation.
Then email the Report Card to local leaders to raise awareness, include the data in a presentation or grant proposal, or share it on social media to drive healthy change in your community!
6. Check Out Our Webinars: ‘Let’s Improve Health in South Texas and Beyond!’
We want all people to be as healthy as possible.
How can we reach this ideal, especially as many people struggle with access to clinical trials, income, health care, food, housing, and other issues?
You’re invited to a webinar series, “Let’s Improve Health in South Texas and Beyond,” a collaboration of the Salud America! program, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Genentech.
“These webinars will help healthcare professionals and the public understand and take action for health in South Texas and beyond,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and the IHPR at UT Health San Antonio.
7. Test Your Memory with the Brain Health Registry!
Want to play memory and thinking tests and help millions of families with dementia?
The Brain Health Registry can help you do that.
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) developed a registry for adults interested in conducting brain tests that can help the future creation of treatments for Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, and other brain disorders.
Now, they’re partnering with the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio to expand brain health research in the Texas region of the United States, through a partnership called STOP-AD.
Learn about the STOP-AD Brain Health Registry, how Alzheimer’s is affecting Latinos, and how clinical trials can help us tackle Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
JOIN THE BRAIN HEALTH REGISTRY!
8. Volunteer for a Clinical Trial for Your Familia!
Cancer and Alzheimer’s hurt many of our abuelos, moms, dads, and others we love.
Clinical trials help us fight for our familia.
Clinical trials are studies that help researchers learn more to help slow, manage, and treat Alzheimer’s and cancer for current and future family members. But without volunteers for clinical trials, the benefits may miss all groups.
Visit our clinical trials page to find a clinical trial, read about hero volunteers, and more!
Search the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio’s Find a Clinical Trial database to learn more about available clinical trials and eligibility requirements.
Seek a cancer trial anywhere in the nation here.
“People in clinical trials are not only helping themselves, but they’re also building a future with better treatments that can help their families in the future,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research and Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio.
9. Sign Up to Be an Organ Donor!
Some groups have less participation in organ donation.
The number of organ transplants performed on Latinos in 2020 was about 30% of the number of Latinos currently waiting for a transplant.
You can:
- register to become an organ donor at the state and/or national level.
- sign up to be an organ donor at the state level when getting your driver’s license at your local DMV.
- sign up at the national level through the National Donate Life Registry.
Once you make the decision to become an organ donor, let loved ones know of your wishes. You have the power to save a life, and its as simple as joining a donor registry!
10. Quit Smoking!
Need help to kick the smoking habit?
Fortunately, Quitxt can help!
Quitxt is a bilingual service from the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas that sends texts messages to smartphones to help South Texas adults quit smoking. Messages help with motivation to quit, setting a quit date, handling stress, and using nicotine replacement, if needed.
To join Quitxt in English, text “iquit” to 844-332-2058.
For Spanish, text “lodejo” to 844-332-2058.
More than 1 in 5 Quitxt users fully quit smoking after completing the English version of the program, according to a 2017 study.
“There’s no better time than now to stop smoking with help from Quitxt,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez of the IHPR at UT Health San Antonio. “Quitting smoking is proven to improve your health, increase your life span, and save money.”
11. Tweetchat With Us!
#SaludTues is a Tweetchat on Twitter/X that focuses on a variety of different health issues.
From September 2014 to March 2021, #SaludTues occurred weekly at noon CST every Tuesday. From April 2021 to November 2023, #SaludTues occurred monthly at noon CST on the first Tuesday of each month. Starting in January 2024, #SaludTues occurs on a periodic basis at noon CST on some Tuesdays.
Tweetchats are hosted by @SaludAmerica, the Twitter/X handle of Salud America! The National Health Communication Program.
Be sure to use the hashtag #SaludTues to follow the conversation on Twitter/X and share your stories and resources!
12. Volunteer for a Local Board, Committee, or Commission!
You don’t need to hold political office to make a healthy change in your community.
Parents and residents play a big role in helping leaders make change by getting involved in neighborhood associations and local committees, boards, and commissions. These groups rely on your input to shape plans and policies that impact health in your area.
Contributing to healthy local change is important because where you live─down to your ZIP code─can predict your and your family’s education, income, and physical and mental health.
So how can you get involved?
JOIN A COMMITTEE, BOARD, OR COMMISSION!
13. Pledge to Complete CDC Project Firstline Training on Infection Control!
Infection control saves lives by stopping the spread of disease, and frontline healthcare workers play a critical role.
That’s why frontline healthcare workers must stay up to date on infection control practices to keep themselves, their colleagues, and their patients healthy.
If you agree, sign this pledge and complete at least one infection control training module or infection control activity from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)’s Project Firstline, in collaboration with Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio and the National Hispanic Medical Association.
Trainings cover topics for all types of healthcare workers. Modules also offer continuing medical education (CME) credit!
14. Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine!
Have you gotten your COVID-19 vaccine?
Getting the vaccine is an important step toward ending a pandemic that has exacted such a burden on this population. But incorrect information about the vaccine is making it hard.
“We are resilient. But part of our resiliency requires action, like getting the COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself and your family,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio.
Find COVID-19 vaccine locations near you in English or Spanish!
15. Share Stories of People Who Changed Their Hearts and Got the COVID-19 Vaccine!
To help move Latinos and all people from vaccine hesitancy to vaccine confidence, Salud America! is uplifting the stories of real people who overcame incorrect information, got the vaccine, reconnected with family, and are helping end the pandemic.
Share these “change of heart” heroes in English or Spanish!
- Rosa Herrera read on Facebook that the vaccine would inject her with a microchip. She learned that was a myth. See exactly what changed her heart and pushed her to get the vaccine! (en español)
- Jesus Larralde was nervous about the vaccine’s possible side effects. His wife got the vaccine and was fine. See exactly what changed his heart and pushed him to get the vaccine! (en español)
- Helen Cordova thought the vaccine was rushed. But she did her research and learned the vaccine’s safety, and volunteered to be the first person in California to get the vaccine! See exactly what changed her heart! (en español)
16. Start a School Food Pantry!
About 1 in 6 children are food insecure. They don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
Your school can help these kids!
For Hispanic Heritage Month, try the Salud America! “School Food Pantry Action Pack” is a free guide to help school personnel talk to decision-makers, work through logistics, and start a School Food Pantry to help hungry students and reduce local food insecurity.
A School Food Pantry accepts, stores, and redistributes donated and leftover food to students.
The Action Pack was created by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio.
Dr. Ramirez had input from Jenny Arredondo, nutrition director at San Antonio ISD. Arredondo started school food pantries on 10 campuses in 2017-18, based on a Texas law change led by Diego Bernal.
17. Start ‘Handle With Care’ So Police Alert Schools if Kids Are Exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (Even If School is Closed or Virtual)!
60% of U.S. children have been exposed to violence, crime, or other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
These kids still have to go to class, virtually or in person. They carry a burden that can interfere with their behavior and grades. And schools don’t know there’s an issue at home.
Enter “Handle With Care.”
Download the free Salud America! “Handle With Care Action Pack” to start a Handle With Care program. In the program, police notify schools when they encounter children at a tough scene, so schools can provide support right away, even if operating virtually.
The Action Pack contains materials and technical assistance to start a conversation and plans for implementing a Handle With Care program. Over 65 U.S. cities have started such a program.
The Action Pack was created by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Salud America! program, with help from Andrea Darr, director of the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice, which started the first Handle With Care program in 2013.
18. Create a Support-Sensitive School!
The Salud America! “Support-Sensitive School Action Pack” is a free guide with coaching to help school personnel talk to decision-makers, build a support team, implement support-sensitive systems to support students exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
Included are real templates from John Hernandez of East Central ISD in San Antonio.
You can use these templates to craft your own system with protocols to identify/track/monitor students, a community resource guide, and a chain of command system.
19. Help Your City Adopt Smoke-Free Multifamily Housing!
People who live in multifamily housing share air with their neighbors ─ including secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke contains over 70 cancer-causing chemicals, has killed over 2.5 million people, and can travel through doorways, halls, windows, ventilation systems, electrical outlets, and gaps around fixtures.
Download the free Salud America! Action Pack “Help Your City Adopt Smoke-Free Multifamily Housing” to help your city explore a smoke-free multifamily housing policy for common areas and individual units.
Experts say this can protect the health of tenants and staff of apartments, as well as save property owners money in unit maintenance, fire prevention, insurance, and reduced legal liability.
You can use model emails, graphics, and policies to explore a local smoke-free multifamily housing policy in your town.
20. Subscribe to the ‘Salud Talks’ Podcast!
The “Salud Talks” podcast, from the team at Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, is now live!
For each episode, listeners will hear from health experts—from grassroots movements to national organizations—on topics ranging from infection control to healthy eating, and more.
Salud Talks episodes are released periodically.
Each episode is available wherever fine podcasts are downloaded, including Spotify.
21. Think “Water Bottle Fountains”
Water Bottle Fountains are filtered water dispensers for easily filling and refilling water bottles.
Water Bottle Fountains give kids much-needed access to safe drinking water throughout the school day.
They also help keep kids hydrated while saving families money from buying bottled water. They help the environment by reducing waste.
Salud America! wants to help you get Water Bottle Fountains at your school with our custom-for-you Water Bottle Fountain Action Pack with Coaching!
GET YOUR WATER BOTTLE FOUNTAIN ACTION PACK!
22. Get Outside and Garden!
Caesar Valdillez loves where he lives—the Southtown neighborhood in San Antonio (63% Latino).
Valdillez grew up in the neighborhood and even moved back after he finished college, hoping to meet like-minded environmentalists to improve the neighborhood and sustain it for many years to come.
But he noticed Southtown lacked the healthy food options it needed to be a truly healthy community.
“Our neighborhood does not have any reasonable grocery store in the area, especially with fresh produce and herbs,” he said.
Valdillez decided to help.
He worked with neighbors and the city to start a local garden!
For Valdillez and his neighbors, it’s all about making their community better for everyone.
“Urban gardening is our grassroots way of making a difference in the world, one preserved green space at a time,” Valdillez said.
23. Volunteer in Your Comunidad!
Kindness counts.
Helping people is good. And it also helps you, too.
“Doing a kindness produces the single most reliable increase in wellbeing [for the doer] of any exercise we’ve tested,” said Dr. Martin Seligman of Penn’s Positive Psychology Center.
A national survey of 3,351 adults found that the overwhelming majority of participants reported feeling mentally and physically healthier after a volunteer experience, HuffPost reports.
“Studies have shown that volunteering helps people who donate their time feel more socially connected, thus warding off loneliness and depression,” said Stephanie Watson of the Harvard Health Blog. “A growing body of evidence suggests that people who give their time to others might also be rewarded with better physical health—including lower blood pressure and a longer lifespan.”
So help out your fellow neighbors this Hispanic Heritage Month!
By The Numbers
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Big Excuses
people use to justify discriminatory behavior
