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Cliff Despres

Cliff Despres, who has more than a decade of experience in journalism and public relations, is communications director for Salud America! and its home base, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio.

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Articles by Cliff Despres

Tell USDA: Limit Added Sugars in Dietary Guidelines!


Latno boy drinking water no sugary drinks in us dietary guidelines

Submit a comment to support strong limits on added sugars and no sugary drinks for toddlers in the scientific report that will help shape the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A federal committee released the scientific report on July 15, 2020, after spending months reviewing data and over 55,000 public comments—including some from Salud America! members. USDA and HHS will use the scientific report and comments to draft the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. You can comment on the report through Aug. 13, 2020. Marion Nestle, a nutrition researcher, told CNN that the report has "stronger recommendations" than past guidelines. This includes no sugary drinks for children up to age 2. "At the outset, I was concerned that the committee members might be ...

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Mimi Frazier White: If We Fight Together, We Will Win Against Breast Cancer


Mimi Frazier White collage

By Harmenia "Mimi" Frazier White Breast Cancer Survivor My journey began in 2015 when I was diagnosed with stage 3b invasive breast cancer. For years prior to the diagnosis, I was misdiagnosed and told that I had fibrocystic breast disease. If I didn't finally want to know what was going on with my body, I wouldn't be here today. Once I was diagnosed, I went into chemotherapy for 5 months and got married right after I finished. In July 2016 I got a double mastectomy and lymph node removal next, followed by 3 months of radiation. The next year, I had to get a salpingo oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes). At this point, cancer had taken nearly everything from me. Luckily, it didn't take my spirit or my strong will to live. I fought hard to maintain this ...

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U.S. Latinos Reach Record-High 18.5% of Nation’s Population


U.S. Latinos are a rising population group

The U.S. Latino population grew to 60.6 million in 2019, a record 18.5% of the total population, according to new Census Bureau data. Here are all the details you need to know. The U.S. Latino Population Continues to Grow The U.S. population reached 328,239,523 in 2019. Latinos reached 60,572,237 in 2019. Now at 18.5% of the U.S. population, Latinos are the second-largest racial/ethnic group, behind non-Latino Whites (60.1%). They have greater numbers than Blacks (13.4), Asians (5.9%), and American Indians or Alaska Natives (1.3%). Latinos accounted for 16% of the U.S. population in 2010. In fact, the U.S. Latino population is up by 10,093,626 from 2010 to 2019, or 20% growth, according to the new Census Bureau data. Growth of the U.S. Latino Population Is Slowing Even ...

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Need Help? Erine Gray’s FindHelp.org Can Connect You to Local Social Services amid Coronavirus


Erine Gray, founder of auntbertha and findhelp.org social services websites, with his mother in Austin Texas

When he was 16, Erine Gray's mother caught the rare brain disease encephalitis, causing permanent damage and memory loss. Gray moved his mother to Austin, Texas, a few years later to help care for her. He was just out of college with an economics degree, doing contract work. She was 57 years old at the time with early-onset dementia, and no income. He struggled helping her with daily tasks and making sure she took her medications. Gray had to find a sitter for her when he left the house. Eventually she required 24-hour care. "Nobody has a road map for these types of situations, I learned that very early on," Gray said in an interview with Salud America! "We didn’t know what services were available to help." That's why, now 28 years after his mother's diagnosis, Gray is ...

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San Bernardino County Is 1st in California to Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis


diverse fists to declare racism a public health crisis

In San Bernardino County (50% Latino), the Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 this week to make it California's first county to adopt a resolution to declare racism as a public health crisis, the L.A. Times reports. The resolution recognizes that racism "creates unfair disadvantages to some individuals and communities" and "results in disparities in family stability, health and mental wellness, education, employment, economic development, public safety, criminal justice and housing." In addition, the resolution commits to action, according to the report: Enhance diversity in the county workforce; Study existing county policies and practices "through a lens of racial equality to promote and support efforts that prioritize health for people of color"; Plan collaborations ...

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We’re Hiring for a Communications Specialist Position!


IHPR communications specialist for salud america

We're seeking a top-notch communications specialist to join our communication team at Salud America!, our national Latino health equity organization based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio. The position will write, edit, and communicate health content and messages for the IHPR. This includes digital content curation for the IHPR's Salud America! project, as well as assisting in the production of numerous IHPR internal and external communication vehicles, such as newsletters, email blasts, presentations, websites, social media, press releases and more. Apply Now! Details for the Communications Specialist Position A bachelor's degree and two years of related experience is required. Also preferred experience includes: Knowledge ...

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Webinar 6/29/20: Why Are We Dying? Race, Ethnicity and Health Justice in the COVID-19 Pandemic



COVID-19 can affect anyone. But the coronavirus pandemic is impacting Latinos and other communities of color more severely. This is why Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, is joining a webinar to discuss issues and solutions to COVID-19 health disparities. The webinar, "Why Are We Dying? Race, Ethnicity and Health Justice in the COVID-19 Pandemic," is set for 11 a.m. CST Monday, June 29, 2020. The event is sponsored by PanPals.com, a program at the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics at UT Health San Antonio. Register for the webinar. The webinar features: Amelie Ramirez, DrPH, Professor and Chair, Department of Population Health Sciences and Director, Institute for Health Promotion Research, UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Ramirez ...

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Dr. Amelie Ramirez Featured in ‘The Cancer Health 25: Change Makers’


Amelie Ramirez komen scholar cancer research global cancer prevention

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, has been named one of the "The Cancer Health 25: Change Makers" by Cancer Health magazine. The magazine recognizes individuals who "make a difference every day." "They have each experienced cancer, either personally or through someone they love," according to the magazine. "And it has changed them, made them want to give back and given them a mission to make a difference for others living with cancer." Read about Ramirez and the other 25 change makers here. Dr. Ramirez & Her Health Promotion Research Ramirez is an internationally recognized health researcher at UT Health San Antonio. Here, she is professor and chair of the Department of Population ...

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CDC: 55% of U.S. Coronavirus Cases Are Latino, Black


latina walking face mask coronavrisu covid-19 death case rates

Latinos and Blacks together comprise 55% of coronavirus cases, nearly double their U.S. population makeup, according to new CDC data. Overall, Latinos were 33% of COVID-19 cases and Blacks were 22% in an analysis of 1.3 million lab-confirmed coronavirus cases reported to CDC during January 22-May 30, 2020. These are much higher rates than Latinos and Black representation in the U.S. population (18% and 13%). The new CDC data reinforce the disparate impact of COVID-19 on Latinos amid worsening historical inequities. "As protests against systemic racism in policing take place nationwide following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody, the pandemic continues to show similar discrepancies in healthcare and economics," Forbes reports on the CDC ...

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