At Salud America!, we're excited to discuss health during Hispanic Heritage Month! This annual U.S. observance, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, celebrates the histories, backgrounds and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America and Latin America.
How Did Hispanic Heritage Month Start?
U.S. Congressmen George E. Brown and 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 a 31-day period. President Ronald Reagan implemented the expansion to Hispanic Heritage ...
Navigating a family member’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis is difficult. But what about some of our younger and more vulnerable family members who may lack the resources needed to open up and talk about the disease? Otskuka, a pharmaceutical company focused on advancing patient care, is following up ion the narrative of its original video with an interactive video series geared toward helping children adjust and recognize the changes in their loved ones. Let’s dig into the interactive video and how families can use it to engage their youngest family members.
Interactive Alzheimer’s Video
The interactive video experience Time With Josh introduces viewers to Josh, a boy who has a special relationship with his grandma, who is showing signs of memory loss. The ...
In the last 15 years, U.S. mortality rates have leveled off or worsened, according to a new report from the National Institutes of Health. One of the lesser-known reasons for this trend is educational level. “Notably, research has found that mortality is [better] among people with a higher level of education,” according to NIH. Let’s dig deeper into this research and what it means for our communities.
What Research Found on Educational Levels
The NIH cites a recent study, published in JAMA Health Forum and led by Boston University School of Public Health. The study examined U.S. mortality rates by educational attainment before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census ...
While cancer continues to be a leading cause of death among those living in the US, 2001 to 2022 saw a steady drop in cancer cases, according to a the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. The decline can be attributed to the decrease in incidence and deaths due to lung cancer and other cancers related to smoking, according to researchers. Alternatively, cancers related to obesity, which is linked to an increased risk of cancer, have risen over the past 20 years. This has led to higher rates of female breast, uterus, colon and rectal, pancreatic, kidney, and liver cancers, according to the report. Let’s break down the report and discuss what the data means for Latinos and all people.
Cancer by the Numbers
The new report, supported by the National ...
Your liver is a key to overall health, performing hundreds of essential functions in your body. Find out the latest in liver health issues and solutions at UT Health San Antonio’s webinar, “What You Should Know about Your Amazing Liver,” at 11 a.m. Central on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. This webinar will feature expert panelists from Mays Cancer Center, UT Health San Antonio, Texas Liver Institute, Genentech, and more to explore the state of liver health in South Texas. Panelists will examine the oversized impact of liver disease and liver cancer and its causes among South Texas residents, who are predominantly Latino, and beyond Texas. Understanding the reasons why this is happening can reveal how to address this health issue and prevent liver cancer among Latinos and the ...
Health Confianza wants to help health professionals to address stigma, use plain language with patients, and more in its upcoming virtual health literacy series. The series, Communicating with Confianza — A Health Literacy ECHO, is a six-part online learning experience focused on “empowering health professionals with health literacy education, resources and knowledge-sharing tools,” according to the nonprofit funded by Bexar County and located at UT Health San Antonio. The free course is open to all health professionals, including physicians, nurses, community health workers, social workers and pharmacists. Confianza — A Health Literacy ECHO covers the following topics: Acknowledging perspectives, stigma, creating a shame-free environment, plain language, shared ...
Jewel Ng has always had an interest in studying medicine. However, when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Ng started to look at a career in medicine differently. “I think seeing how her oncologist handled things, and just like the general process of dealing with something as difficult as that,” Ng said. That’s why Ng has a goal of not only treating people, but for truly taking care of them. Today, she is pursuing medicine as a second-year student at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and served as a Robert A. Winn clinical investigator intern at UT Health San Antonio’s Institute for Health Promotion Research. “It's completely different to actually and be part of that experience of having to drive them to, like chemotherapy, having ...
Your eye health is important. In fact, when left unchecked, poor eye health can lead to serious complications for your overall health and quality of life. This is especially true for children. One of the biggest threats to eye health is myopia, or nearsightedness, which is a very common eye condition, affecting many children. Here are five facts about Myopia you should be aware of and how to tackle them to make sure your child kicks the school year off on the right foot. You can also donate to help families afford eye exams for their children!
1. Myopia Affects Many Children
Myopia, or nearsightedness, affects 40% of people in the US, according to Cleveland Clinic. However, the condition is rising in school-aged children. Experts anticipate that this will ...
In the United States, cancer is a significant public health challenge. For example, among Latinos, who are 19.5% of the population, rates are higher and prognoses are poorer than other groups. The Latino cancer burden is driven by complex interactions in 13 key areas, according to a new publication from the Task Force: Latino Researchers Against Cancer in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. The task force, led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio and comprised of specialists in oncology, public health, and behavioral sciences, spent a year meeting together to unpack the influences contributing to cancer, from genetics to societal practices. "Findings highlight environmental hazards, genetic susceptibilities, stigmas, and linguistic barriers as significant ...
