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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

Salud America! Gets $1.5M to Drive Health Equity for Latino, All Families


Latino health equity family collage

Salud America! has received a two-year, $1.5 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to create new digital content to inspire people to drive community change for health equity for Latino and all U.S. families. Salud America! was established nationally in 2007 and is based at UT Health San Antonio. The program produces culturally relevant multimedia research, tools, and stories to fuel its online network—more than 200,000 moms and dads, healthcare providers, and community and school leaders—to start healthy changes to policies, systems, and environments where Latino children and families can equitably live, learn, work, and play. The new funding will extend Salud America! from October 2018 to October 2020. Salud America! now will engage more people with ...

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#SaludTues Bilingual Tweetchat 10/9: Celebrate Your Beautiful Eyes


latina girl glasses

Do you know that diabetes can affect your eye health? Do you know why it's important to have a dilated eye exam? Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, to tweet answers to these important questions and share innovative ways to improve eye health among Latinos and all people! WHAT: #SaludTues Bilingual Tweetchat─Celebrate Your Beautiful Eyes (Celebra tus bellos ojos)! TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: National Eye Institute (@NatEyeInstitute), National Hispanic Medical Association (@NHMAmd) OPTIONAL HASHTAGS: #HHM2018 (Hispanic Heritage Month) We’ll open the floor to your comments, tips, and stories as we explore: Why should Latinos care ...

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Webcast: Dr. Amelie Ramirez on Advocacy for Latino Health Equity


Amelie Ramirez komen scholar cancer research

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, will explore how to stimulate community advocacy for health equity in Latino and all communities in a new webcast as part of the Director’s Seminar Series by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities! The webcast is set for 11 a.m. EST Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. View the webcast here. Latinos are a rising U.S. powerhouse. But they face barriers to be their healthiest and suffer high rates of obesity and other health disparities. Dr. Ramirez's Salud America! program is a national Latino-focused organization that creates culturally relevant and research-based stories, videos, and tools. These elements aim to inspire people to start and support healthy changes to policies, systems, ...

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San Antonio Wins ‘Culture of Health’ Prize!


RWJF San Antonio culture of health prize winner

Two majority-Latino communities are among the four winners of the 2018 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize! San Antonio, Texas (63.6% Latino) and Cicero, Ill. (88.8% Latino) were chosen from nearly 200 applicants. Eatonville, Fla., and Klamath County, Ore., also won. These communities made strong efforts to build a culture of health is where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. They brought neighborhood, school, and business partners together to improve health for all residents. Winning communities get a $25,000 prize and will have their inspiring stories shared by RWJF. “These inspiring places are engaging community members in decision making to give all residents the opportunity to live well, no matter where they ...

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7 Tips for Latinos to Start a Mental Health Journey


latino mental health care and treatment

People these days are talking about mental health more than ever before, from real mothers to nonprofit groups to NBA stars to entire TV shows. But it's not always clear how to start your own mental health journey. This is especially unclear among Latinos, who face higher rates of depressive symptoms than many of their peers. And fewer Latinos (8%) than whites (14%) reported that their child had ever used mental health care services, according to a Salud America! research review. "If you’re just embarking on your mental health journey, it’s a scary and stressful time," writes Joe Rodriguez of remezcla.com. 6 Big Tips Rodriguez talked with Latina mental health activist Dior Vargas (formerly of Project UROK) and therapist Omar Torres to create a six-step guide to "help you ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 9/18: Let’s Improve Immigrant Health


latino boy outside

Latinos immigrants face a big lack of access to support for economic stability, education, and health. To best support Latino immigrant and all families, research shows a need to develop and support high-quality early care and education programs, home environments free of chronic stress, and poverty-reducing programs and policies. To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, to tweet about innovative ways to improve health equity and well-being for immigrant and all families! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat─Let's Improve Immigrant Health! TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: The Society of Behavioral Medicine ...

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San Antonio Docs to Prescribe Smartphone Quit-Smoking Service


doctor and nurse

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at the UT Health San Antonio, has received a new $1.3 million prevention grant to enable local doctors to guide patients who smoke to join a smartphone-based quit smoking service. The grant is from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) The funding will enhance tobacco screening and treatment for two groups. One is primary care patients at the UT Health Physicians medical practice. The other is oncology care patients at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center. During routine patient visits, doctors will assess and track if a patient smokes. They will then counsel and prompt patients to use their smartphones to join Quitxt. Quitxt encourages quitting smoking via bilingual text or Facebook ...

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Minerva Perez’s Free Ride Program Helps Latinos Overcome ‘Transportation Bullies’


Minerva Perez of Organización Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island (New York)

Minerva Perez hates bullies. In elementary school, Perez did not like when bullies picked on her friends. She became their bodyguard. Today, Perez is standing up to a modern bully—transportation barriers. Limited access to public transportation is bullying Latino families into skipping medical appointments, instilling big fears of deportation, and jeopardizing health in Suffolk County, N.Y. (19.5% Latino). Perez is taking action as leader of Organización Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island. She helped create a unique free van ride program that bridges transportation gaps. It also gives her an advocacy platform to improve public transportation at the local level. How did Perez do it? Is it working? A 3-Hour Bus Ride Getting around in Suffolk County isn't ...

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