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San Antonio is a vibrant, historic, still-growing city (63% Latino).
But people here still face uphill health battles. They face diabetes, obesity, and inequitable access to quality medical care, education, income, and support.
The good news is that community and school advocates are making a difference!
And our program, Salud America! led by Dr. Amelie Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio, spotlights these heroes and enables action to improve local health!
Advocates Making a Difference for San Antonio Health
Here are some San Antonio heroes on our Salud America! website:
Mental Health Support for City’s Youngest Kids. Fred Cardenas helped build the Early Childhood Well Being (ECWB) at Family Service Association of San Antonio. ECWB intervenes early for kids ages 0-8 who have mental health issues. They provide interaction strategies for parents, teachers, and healthcare providers.
City Health Advocates Make Physical Activity Fun in Parks. Health worker Pete Garcia created Fitness in the Park. These are free fitness classes in parks in each of the city’s 10 council districts.
Dr. Ramirez Pushes for Tobacco 21 in San Antonio. Dr. Amelie Ramirez submitted testimony for a measure to raise the tobacco sale age from 18 to 21 in city limits. City Council approved.
13-year-old Creates Nutrition App for Kids. Isabella Jimenez of San Antonio is working to create a fun, informative nutrition app for kids.
City Leader Pushes for Equity in Public Transit. San Antonio City Council Member Rey Saldaña gave up his car for a month. He used buses. He often arrived late, soaked from rain, and frustrated. His eye-opening experiment led him to champion more funding for VIA Metropolitan Transit.
But so much more needs to be done for San Antonio.
Why The Pursuit of Health Equity is Important
Health inequities result from systemic barriers and social conditions that perpetuate poverty.
All too often, Latinos have limited access to healthcare, quality education, affordable housing, and social support, according to our research. Many times Latinos also face bias that can harm health.
These root causes of inequity often lead to poor health outcomes.
We can work together to make health equity a priority for Latinos and all in 2019!
Salud America!’s Commitment to Health Equity
Salud America! is committed to health equity in Greater San Antonio.
Every day our team of curators—Amanda Merck, Stacy Cantu, Josh McCormack, and Pramod Sukumaran—provide the latest updates on Latino health. We speak to local heroes and leaders in the community and share their stories.
We develop dynamic content to fuel grassroots healthy action in schools and communities.
This work is paying off.
Between 2017-2018, members of Salud America! ‘s national network reported 275 policy wins, with 179 (65%) of those addressing Latino childhood health.
These success are possible only with generous support from people like you.
Here’s how you can help!
1. Join Us for the #BigGive2019
On March 28, 2019, Salud America! will be participating in the #BigGive2019.
Join us for this one-day online event to contribute to the important work we do. By giving to our program you are directly supporting Latino health and health equity for all!
- Give on March 28 on our Salud America! BigGive Giving Page
- Or give today at our Salud America Page at UT Health San Antonio
Your contributions will help sustain our health equity efforts in San Antonio and across the nation.
For the past 10 years, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has funded our work. Our research team will continue to seek grant opportunities, but we recognize the need to diversify our sources of funding.
We believe our community benefits greatly from the work we do to promote health equity. Therefore, we humbly ask for your support this year during the #BigGive2019.
2. Participate in a Salud America! Action Campaign
Another way to support health equity is to join one of our national action campaigns.
If you’ve never participated in one of our action campaigns, it’s easy. In 2018 our network of supporters contributed thousands of comments to the U.S. government.
Check out our latest action campaigns below:
3. Start a Big Change with a Salud America! Action Pack
You can take action in your own San Antonio school or neighborhood.
We can help with these action packs:
- Add a Water Bottle Fountain at Your School! This gives kids much-needed access to safe drinking water throughout the school day. They help keep kids hydrated and healthy while saving families money from buying bottled water.
- Start a School Food Pantry! A School Food Pantry accepts, stores, and redistributes donated and leftover food to students.
- Make Your School Trauma-Sensitive! This free guide coaches school personnel to talk to decision-makers, build a support team, craft a system to identify and support traumatized students, and more!
4. Join a #SaludTues Tweetchat!
Every Tuesday at 12 p.m. CST we host our #SaludTues Tweetchats on Twitter!
During these 1 hour events, we engage advocates, community leaders, and experts to discuss issues and solutions related to Latino health and wellness.
See a list of our upcoming #SaludTues Tweetchats. Join us for the next #SaludTues!
It’s already been an exciting year for Salud America!.
We look forward to many more policy and advocacy wins in 2019!
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142
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