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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

Report: U.S. ‘Failed Miserably’ in Policy Response to COVID-19, But Has a Path Forward for Future Pandemics


Latino man mask covid19 coronavirus pandemic

U.S. leaders have "failed miserably" in planning and executing a cohesive national response to COVID-19, which has killed over 170,000 people here, according to a new report. The report is Public Health Law Watch's Assessing Legal Responses to COVID-19. It features 50 top national experts evaluating the policy response to the pandemic. The experts blame neither resources nor individual courage, but rather "a failure of leadership and the implementation of an effective response." COVID-19 revealed weaknesses in the nation’s health care and public health systems. It also worsened existing health inequities for Latinos and other people of color—even creating new disparities. Still, the report offers 100+ recommendations on how federal, state, and local leaders can better ...

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38,367 Speak Up for Healthier Nutrition Guidelines!


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Thank you to the 38,367 people—including over 800 Salud America! members—who submitted public comments for better nutrition and limited added sugars for the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans! These comments are the latest step in shaping the guidelines. USDA and HHS update the guidelines every five years. They are the leading set of nutrition standards for people, health professionals, and federal food programs. Submitted between mid-July and mid-August 2020, the new comments arrive after an initial 55,000 public comments between winter 2019 and spring 2020. A federal committee then released a scientific report to inform the guidelines. Recommendations include no sugary drinks for children up to age 2 and less alcohol intake for men. Now we await the release the ...

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Study: Salud America! Increased Exposure to Latino Health Equity Content amid COVID-19


latino health equity digital content curation during covid-19 coronavirus

When COVID-19 struck, it impacted Latinos more than others. That is why Salud America!, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded national program at UT Health San Antonio, immediately applied its digital content curation model to create equitable, culturally relevant information and action opportunities to address pandemic effects on Latinos. The result? Record spikes in program website traffic and confirmation of the curation model's capacity to increase people's exposure to culturally relevant and action-oriented information for a novel topic like COVID-19, according to a new study published in the journal Health Promotion Practice. "We have shown that digital content curation is an effective, measurable public health promotion tool to disseminate awareness-raising and ...

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Parks Are Smaller, Hotter, More Crowded Where People of Color Live


Equitable parks green spaces latino hispanic size crowding bicycle biking bike trees covid mask

Amid the surging COVID-19 pandemic and one of the hottest summers in world history, public parks are a refuge. But not all parks are created equitably. Parks that serve primarily Latinos and others of color are half the size of parks that serve majority White populations. They are also five times more crowded, with hotter temperatures, according to a new study from The Trust for Public Land. "As cities struggle with extreme heat this summer, parks are one of the best ways for residents to find relief," said Diane Regas, leader of The Trust for Public Land. "We all need and deserve parks—and all of the benefits they provide—all of the time. But during this period of compounded public health emergencies, unequal access to quality parks can be downright dangerous." What Did the ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 8/11: Why Data Matter? The Role of Data for an Equitable COVID-19 Response


latina woman with face mask to prevent coronavirus covid-19

Coronavirus can affect anyone. But reports continue to show the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately impacting Latinos and other people of color, and worsening historical inequities. What are the data really showing? Do we have the right data? How can we use that data to improve health amid the pandemic? Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, to tweet about why data matter and the important role of data in ensuring an equitable response to COVID-19! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat “Why Data Matter? The Role of Data for an Equitable COVID-19 Response” TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (12-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 WHERE: Twitter HOST: Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio (@SaludAmerica) CO-HOSTS: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (@CHRankings), ...

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Access to Care is Vital for Healthy Outcomes in Latino Children


Access to Care is Vital for Healthy Outcomes in Latino Children doctor child patient office

Where you live matters for your health. The health of any population is determined by several factors including the physical, emotional, socioeconomic, and environmental circumstances in which they live. For U.S. Latinos, these factors can be daily challenges and cause poor health outcomes, especially for their children. As a result, Latino children have higher rates of obesity and diabetes and lower levels of physical activity than their non-Latino peers. These inequities are worsening amid the COVID-19 pandemic. These children also are at least twice as likely to be uninsured. "To help reverse these outcomes, it is important for Latino children and youth to enroll in health coverage and have access to preventive care. Children who have health coverage are shown to have ...

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Farmer’s Markets Are Essential, Especially amid Coronavirus


example of farmers market amid covid-19 pandemic coronavirus face masks - from cuesa

Does your town have a farmers market? How is it operating amid COVID-19? Farmers markets are a path to healthy food access. They are especially important now as the coronavirus pandemic worsens food insecurity. Fortunately, the Farmers Market Coalition is stepping up to support farmers markets. They're pushing for federal aid for markets, creating resources, and sharing how markets increase access to healthy, fresh produce and social connections, and engage farmers in the local economy. “There are benefits to visiting a farmers’ market in light of coronavirus … you’re outside, there’s fresh air moving, and the supply chain is shorter,” Yvonne Michael, an epidemiologist at Drexel University, told WHYY. For National Farmers Market Week on Aug. 2-8, 2020, we at Salud ...

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Apply Now: $25,000 RWJF Culture of Health Prize



A culture of health is where everyone has a fair, just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This also achieves health equity. Is your community creating a culture of health? If so, apply for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize! The contest provides $25,000 to communities that unite neighborhood, school, and business partners to improve health for all residents. Apply by Oct.15, 2020. Read about 2019 Winners Three largely Latino cities won three of five 2019 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prizes! Gonzales, Calif. (94% Latino), was chosen from nearly 200 applicants. Two other cities with large Latino populations—Lake County, Colo. (36% Latino) and Broward County, Fla. (30% Latino)—also won the health prize. ...

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