When people donate biospecimens—blood, fluid, or tissue samples—it gives researchers the opportunity to better understand, treat, and prevent conditions from cancer to Alzheimer’s. So why don't Latinos donate? Find the answers at UT Health San Antonio's Zoom webinar — “The Importance of Diverse Biospecimens and How Can Latinos Donate” — at 10 a.m. CT on April 5, 2023. The webinar features experts from UT Health San Antonio and leaders and participants in the All of Us Research Program discussing how to increase diverse biospecimen donation and point to donation opportunities. This is a part of a webinar of a series, “Let’s Address Health Equity Together.” The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health Promotion ...
Latinos face a variety of inequities that contribute to poor health, including disproportionate rates of police brutality, housing instability, and financial hardship. These inequities are rooted in racially biased systems and structures that foster the unequal treatment of Latinos and other people of color. News institutions play a powerful role in shaping conversations around racial/ethnic equity, but a new study by the Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG) in collaboration with UnidosUS shows that Latinos are underrepresented in news coverage on this topic. Let’s explore the implications of Latinos being underrepresented in racial/ethnic equity news, and how to best showcase the contributions, challenges, and needs of Latinos among policymakers, racial equity advocates, and ...
Water is used a lot in healthcare, and in a lot of different ways. For example, water is used in sinks, faucets, ice machines, drains, toilets, and therapy pools. While water is needed in healthcare settings, certain germs, especially some bacteria, can grow on wet surfaces. If you get harmful germs from water and wet surfaces on your hands, they can spread to other surfaces, devices, and people that you touch. These germs can cause illness in some people, like in patients with weakened immune systems. Additionally, if medical instruments and equipment, like devices or central lines, get wet, they can start growing bacteria. That bacteria can then get into a patient’s blood, or other parts of their body, and make them sick.
Why Do Germs Grow on Wet Surfaces?
Although tap ...
Nutritious food is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle for children. However, a February 2023 CDC report shows that many children ages 1-5 are not eating fruits and vegetables daily and are regularly drinking sugary beverages. “In 20 states, more than one half of children did not eat a vegetable daily during the preceding week. In 40 states and the District of Columbia, more than one half of children drank a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once during the preceding week,” according to the CDC. Let’s dive deeper and find out the state of diets among Latinos and all children, the role of healthy food access, and how we can create healthier food environments for children.
The State of Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
The new CDC report paints a grim ...
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of paid sick leave (PSL) policies in the workforce. Unfortunately, 21% of America’s working population still does not have access to PSL three years after the initial COVID-19 outbreak, according to Change Lab Solutions. Here’s why PSL continues to be so important, and how advocates can work toward achieving local, state, and national PSL policies that promote the health of Latinos and all people.
What Does Paid Sick Leave Look Like in America?
Shockingly, the US is one of only three high-income countries in the world without any form of national paid sick leave, according to Change Lab Solutions. The need for PSL for all Americans is stronger than ever, especially as government leaders end various pandemic-era public ...
A nutritious diet is essential for good health. But many vulnerable populations, such as Latinos, struggle to access and afford healthy food. To help, we need to know where to start. Fortunately, a new tool, the Food Equity Opportunity Map, highlights healthy food access issues across the country to show where improving access would make the greatest impact. “Together, we can build community health through improving Food Equity, but only if we first understand where that work is most needed. That’s why we launched the Food Equity Opportunity Map,” according to the creators of the map, Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), a national nonprofit organization focused on health equity, and the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Mapping Food Equity and Food Access
To ...
Latinos face a variety of inequities that contribute to poor health, including disproportionate rates of police brutality, homelessness, and financial hardship. These inequities are rooted in racially biased systems and structures that foster the unequal treatment of Latinos and other people of color. News institutions play a powerful role in shaping conversations around racial/ethnic equity, but representation of Latinos in news coverage on this topic is disproportionately low. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, to discuss the underrepresentation of Latinos in racial/ethnic equity news coverage and how to best showcase contributions, challenges, and needs of Latino communities among policymakers, racial equity advocates, and the general public. WHAT: ...
The average adult should sleep about 7-10 hours a day. But a person may get more (or less) sleep depending on the season, according to a recent study from researchers in Berlin, Germany. “Even in an urban population experiencing disrupted sleep, humans experience longer REM sleep in winter than summer and less deep sleep in autumn,” according to a news release about the sleep study. “In general, societies need to adjust sleep habits including length and timing to season, or adjust school and working schedules to seasonal sleep needs.” This begs a few questions. What other factors impact sleep? Are Latinos affected differently? Let’s explore the topic of sleep for Latinos, why it’s important, and factors that can impact it!
Sleep Can Differ Between Races and ...
Dr. Amelie Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, is among 15 new inductees to the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame. Since 1984, the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame has annually inducted women from Bexar and surrounding counties who have shaped the future of San Antonio and paved the way for women in Texas business, service, education, and more. Ramirez is recognized in the "health" category, where she will join 32 other women from public health, health promotion, medicine, nursing, and more. Ramirez and the other new inductees were inducted at an event in San Antonio on March 4, 2023. "I am humbled to join the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame. I wholeheartedly support its mission to help local women pursue a college education, seek ongoing ...
