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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

6 Ways Child Life Specialists Make A Difference in Health Care!



Did you know that March is Child Life Month? This year Salud America! worked with a group of special co-hosts to highlight the child life profession and child life month during one of our #SaludTues tweetchats. Co-hosts for the chat included The HSC Health Care System (@HSCHealthCare); The Association of Child Life Professionals (@AssocChildLife); and Certified Child Life Specialist, Shani Thornton (@Childlifemommy). During the tweetchat participants discussed the important role that child life specialists play as part of the health care team and ways CCLSs can help improve the quality of care for children from underserved communities. What is a child life specialist (CCLS)? Certified child life specialists (CCLSs) work with children to communicate important health care treatment ...

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Nominate Your Community Leaders for ‘Best in Complete Streets’ Recognition



Does your city, county or state have a Complete Streets policy to promote the safety of drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and all? Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago would love to know! You can nominate of public health agencies and advocates who help develop, adopt, and implement Complete Streets policies from 2013-2018 for a "Complete Streets and Public Health" recognition. Nominations are accepted from now to March 30, 2018. Why Complete Streets? Many Latino communities lack safe places to play and be active, according to a Salud America! research review. This can often lead to fewer opportunities to be physically active. Complete Streets policies can help. Complete Streets are equitable for all users—drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and commuters ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 3/20: Celebrating Child Life Specialists & Kids with Disabilities



As the U.S. Latino population continues to grow so does the need for quality health care services. Yet many Latinos remain uninsured and face barriers to care like poverty, and a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Latino children who are chronically ill or who have special needs are especially vulnerable due having the lowest rates of insurance coverage when compared to other minority kids. Despite these challenges, every child deserves the best quality of healthcare services available. For children who are chronically ill, this may take the form of a child life specialist, who can provide evidence-based therapeutic play and therapy to a child and also help establish trust with families. Let’s use #SaludTues on March 20, 2018, to chat about ways to ...

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Watch: How to Add a Water Bottle Fountain to Your School



Looking for an easy way to improve your school's health? Look no further! Watch the new Salud America! webinar How to Get a Water Bottle Fountain at Your School to get all the info you need to bring all-day access to clean water to your school or district. The webinar features our very own Salud Hero, Cathy Lopez, an elementary school teacher at South San ISD in San Antonio, who raised funds and worked with school and community leaders to add her school's very first water bottle fountain! The webinar also provides information on: Why all schools need water bottle fountains; How Lopez rallied support from students, parents, and school and community leaders; How Lopez worked with her school's maintenance staff to install a water bottle fountain in less than 6 months and ...

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Webinar: How to Get a Water Bottle Fountain at Your School!


water bottle filling school latino girl

Can you get a Water Bottle Fountain at your school? Register now for our new webinar to get tools and support to help you get a Water Bottle Fountain for your school or district! The webinar, set for 12 p.m. CST on Feb. 27, 2018, will explore why Water Bottle Fountains are good for schools and students, and provide an example of someone who has achieved this change and tools you can use to make the change happen at your school. The webinar is the first of our new Salud America! Webinar Series on how to achieve healthy change in communities and schools. Why Water Bottle Fountains? Water Bottle Fountains filtered water dispensers for easily filling and refilling water bottles. They can replace or upgrade existing classic water fountains. Water Bottle Fountains can increase ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 2/13: Latinos, Heart Health & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)


latina heart girl

On average, heart disease causes 1 death every 38 seconds, according to the American Heart Association. Latinos are often unaware of their risk for heart disease. Mexican Americans in particular have higher levels of uncontrolled blood pressure than non-Latino whites and are less likely to receive treatment for high blood pressure. This, poor diet and lack of physical activity, can put them at great risk for heart disease. What else contributes to poor heart health? Growing evidence shows that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) also play a role in developing heart disease. Let’s use #SaludTues on Feb. 13, 2018, to chat about ways to promote heart health and prevent ACEs in Latino communities! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Latinos, Heart Health and ACEs" ...

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Salud America! Urges USDA to Keep School Nutrition Strong


Latina girl drinks milk at cafeteria free school meals

More than 700 Salud America! members and thousands of other people and groups across the nation submitted formal public comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to oppose its proposal to weaken school nutrition standards! Way to go, Salud America! family! These comments urge the USDA to reconsider its proposal, announced Nov. 29, 2017, to allow schools to serve of refined grains over whole grains, flavored milk, and higher levels of salt in meals. The USDA has not announced any action since the end of the public comment period on Jan. 29, 2018. Still, there now is hope for the many Latino kids who depend on school lunch for a healthy meal, thanks to members of the Salud America! network and others who took action! The Salud America! Response The USDA proposal ...

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