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Rosalie Aguilar-Santos

Rosalie Aguilar Santos, MS, is Salud America!'s national project coordinator. She is passionate about nutrition, physical activity, and opportunities to engage communities in advocacy actions to promote Latino childhood health.

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Articles by Rosalie Aguilar-Santos

#SaludTues 7/7: Communicating Safety & Overcoming Myths During COVID-19


Family Facetime

Both adults and children from Latino communities across the U.S. are testing positive for COVID-19 at much higher rates than most other race/ethnicities across several age groups, according to the latest data from the CDC.  Latino kids currently make up 52.4% of all children who tested positive in the U.S. Latino adults also comprise the most new cases in the 18-64 age group. Why are Latino communities impacted disproportionately and how can we do a better job of communicating to reduce exposures and stop the spread? What do the experts say and what are you hearing in your community? Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, to discuss ways to communicate safety, dispel myths, and advocate for the safety of Latinos all people amid the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

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Sugary Drink Ads Continue to Target Latino, Black Youth


sugary drink facts report by rudd center

Spending on sugary drink TV advertising aimed at black and Latino youth is up, according to Sugary Drink FACTS 2020, a new report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. Overall, the report found that in 2018 companies spent a whopping $1 billion (26% increase since 2013) in sugary drink advertising. These drinks include regular soda, sports drinks, iced tea, fruit drinks, flavored water, and energy drinks. Pepsi and Coca-Cola accounted for the largest share of sugary drink advertising in 2018. In the report researchers also explored the nutritional value of sugary drinks advertised by large companies. "These analyses of the nutrition content and advertising of sugary drinks and energy drinks demonstrate that beverage company advertising of sugary drinks to young ...

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Statement from Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez: We Stand in Solidarity Against Racial injustice


george floyd black lives matter public statement from amelie ramirez of salud america

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, has issued the following statement about the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and its aftermath across the country: "The murder of George Floyd at the hands of those whose duty it was to serve and protect him is one in a long series of tragedies impacting the Black community. We offer our condolences to the families of Mr. Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless others who have died from perpetuated systemic racism and injustice in America. We stand with our Black brothers and sisters in this catastrophe, as well as those who are standing in the streets—putting themselves in harm’s way—to speak out against injustice. Racial injustice is a public health issue—and it permeates ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 6/2: Latinos and Workplace Safety Amid COVID-19


Latina Hotel Worker

Latinos workers are essential to the economy. Although, some have worked throughout the pandemic, others are now facing unemployment. At the same time, many will soon be returning to work. Many Latinos hold jobs at meat packing plants, childcare, health care and other positions on the frontlines (i.e. restaurants, retail, etc.). Only 16% of Latino workers are able to work from home, so what does this mean for Latinos and their loved ones? What can we do to advocate for their safety? Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, to discuss ways to provide support and promote a healthy environment for Latino workers and their loved ones amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this National Safety Awareness Month! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Latinos and Workplace Safety Amid ...

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Salud America! Talks Latino Health Equity Amid COVID-19 with APHA


amelie ramirez rosalie aguilar talk latino health equity amid coronavirus on apha podcast

Dr. Amelie Ramirez, Director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, and Rosalie Aguilar, National Project Coordinator, discussed some of the challenges U.S. Latinos face amid the COVID-19 pandemic, on a recent episode of The Nation's Health, The American Public Health Association (APHA) podcast. On the podcast, Ramirez and Aguilar talked about: How COVID-19 impacts U.S. Latinos differently The important role language plays during a pandemic like COVID-19 Promoting health equity during the pandemic What public health practitioners can do to close the gap and lessen the harmful impact on Latino communities Latinos already face a number of health disparities due to underlying inequities in poverty, access to quality and affordable housing, jobs, and ...

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Latina Starts Community to Make Face Masks Para Todos (For All) amid COVID-19


sanchez masks covid 19 coronavirus

You might call Maria Pia Sanchez la reina de las mascarillas (the queen of face masks). Sanchez, a native of Chile who lives in Florida, worked with a few friends to sew masks to donate to front-line medical workers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But they didn’t just sew. Sanchez also created the Para Todos Mask Initiative Facebook page, which has generated a worldwide network of Chilean, Mexican, Guatemalan, Colombian, Venezuelan, and other Latino volunteers to create over 7,000 masks for those who need them most. How did this small sewing group impact the world?! Coronavirus Pandemic Spurs Sanchez into Action COVID-19 swept across the United States quickly in March 2020. By April 2020, experts said Latinos and other people of color are disproportionately affected, ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 5/5: Supporting Caregivers & Healthy Environments for Latino Health Equity


Adult Daughter Comforting Father Suffering With Dementia

At least 1 in 3 U.S. Latino households has at least one family caregiver. This number will continue to grow as many Latinos face higher than average risks for chronic disease, such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, and certain cancers. Although caregivers play an essential role in many families, they also face a great deal of stress, having to juggle multiple jobs while going unpaid for their time spent caring for a loved one. Of even greater concern is that caregivers often experience worse health outcomes than the person they're caring for. So what can we do to advocate for caregivers and their loved ones? Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, to discuss ways to provide support and promote a healthy environment for Latino caregivers and their loved ones amid the ...

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#SaludTues 4/7/20: How Wealth Inequality Impacts Latino Health


Latina seamstress

According to a recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center Latinos are more likely (50% vs. 34%) to see the recent COVID-19 outbreak as a threat to their finances. The same poll found that Latinos were also more likely to be concerned about the threat of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to the U.S. population's health. Given that Latinos are more likely to work in service industries and earn less than $15/hr these findings are not surprising. Latinos are also less likely to have access to insurance and paid sick leave or family leave. Although the effects of COVID-19 are felt across the nation as a whole, Latinos are especially vulnerable under the current circumstances. Many will face the threat of food insecurity, amid other inequities. How does wealth inequality ...

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