Articles by Cliff Despres

How Two Towns Saved Swimming Pools from Demolition

May 8, 2017

Swimming may be the perfect physical activity to help Latino kids achieve good health. But city governments often make the "painful choice to shut their pools to save the budget," according to a New York Times story a few years ago. Pool closures can especially hurt low-income and Latino and racial/ethnic communities where the local pool may be the only luxury. What can community residents do to save pools? We at Salud America! are happy to spotlight two communities who stepped up in unique ways when their local pools faced being cemented in! Hannah Lieder: Saving a Public Pool in the Heart of Minneapolis Phillips Pool had been open for 22 years in the heart of urban Minneapolis, Minn., when it shut down for renovations in 2009. Renovation plans turned into ...

#SaludTues Tweetchat 5/9: Latino Kids and Healthy Minds

May 4, 2017

A child needs more than nutritious food and physical activity to be healthy. They need healthy minds, too. But 1 in 5 children today suffer a serious mental illness. Depressive symptoms among Latino youth are especially high, putting them at risk of dropping out of school, using drugs, and suicide. For Mental Health Awareness Month in May, let’s use #SaludTues on May 9, 2017, to share tips and strategies to promote healthy minds and environments for Latino and all kids across the U.S. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: "Latino Kids and Healthy Minds" TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, May 9, 2017 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludToday CO-HOSTS: Cheryl Aguilar (@cheryl_aguilar); Jesus Rodriguez, MD of Kaiser Permanente ...

Latinos Still Least Likely to Have Health Insurance, If Trumpcare or Obamacare

May 4, 2017

Only about 1 in 10 people don't have health insurance in 2017. That means far more people are covered with health insurance now than in 2013 before the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, went into effect. However, the U.S. House of Representatives today approved a healthcare bill that could leave 24 million fewer people insured by 2026 than under Obamacare, CNN reports. Here's how the bill would work, according to Salon.com. In any case, Latinos will likely still face the biggest uphill climb for healthcare coverage. The State of Latino Healthcare Coverage Latinos are among several groups to suffer from lack of health insurance with rates far above the national average, according to U.S. News & World Report. Other groups with less coverage than whites include ...

Latinos Less Likely to Get Life-Saving Heart Device

May 3, 2017

Latino and black patients were less likely to be offered an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, a potentially lifesaving device that shocks the heart when it detects a dangerously irregular heart rhythm, according to a recent study cited by American Heart Association News. The study confirms that long-standing disparities are not going away. Something needs to be done, said Dr. Samir Saba, a cardiac electrophysiologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, told American Heart Association News. “Very few insights exist into the root causes,” said Saba, who has treated patients with heart failure for nearly two decades. “Here we are in 2017 … and still we are speculating about what could be going on.” The study, ...

Why Are Most-Stressed-Out Cities Largely Latino?

May 1, 2017

despression stress mental health lady headache

Where you live could be impacting your stress levels (and overall health). SmartAsset, a financial company, recently examined the positive and negative factors of the largest 500 U.S. cities to determine the stress levels facing those residents. They rated things like sleep time, commute time, physical activity, and unemployment. Boulder, Colo. (13.9% Latino) ranked as SmartAsset's least-stressed city. The top-10 “most-stressed” cities, sadly, were heavily Latino-populated areas in the Southern U.S. Why Do Latinos Face Stress? Unchecked stress can impact your mental and physical health. It can also contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes, which disproportionately impact Latinos. Broward County, Fla. (27% Latino), provides one ...

#SaludTues Tweetchat 5/2: Latinos and the Crisis of Air Quality

April 27, 2017

Did you know air pollution is the world’s biggest environmental health threat? Air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths a year, according to WHO data. It is linked to heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, and even diabetes in kids. Sadly, Latinos breathe 38% more polluted air than whites. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, to tweet about the latest strategies to improve air quality for Latinos and all people, and help celebrate World Asthma Day (May 2, 2017) and National Air Quality Week (May 1-5, 2017)! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Latinos and the Crisis of Air Quality” TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, May 2, 2017 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludToday CO-HOSTS: Voces Verdes (@VocesVerdes), The ...

Make Your Phone a Personal Quit-Smoking Coach in Spanish!

April 26, 2017

We know it’s not easy to quit smoking. You can do it with Quitxt! Quitxt is a UT Health San Antonio service that sends text messages with culturally and regionally tailored support to help South Texans quit smoking. The service, now available in Spanish and English, turns a user’s phone into a personal quit coach by providing texts and links to online support, educational content, music, and videos. This helps with motivation to quit, setting a quit date, handling stress, and more—and are proven to double your odds of quitting. To join in English, text “iquit” to 844-332-2058. For Spanish, text “lodejo” to 844-332-2058. “If you’re thinking about quitting smoking and you’re always on your phone, Quitxt is a perfect program for you, whether you speak ...

¡Convierte tu teléfono en un coach personal para dejar de fumar en español!

April 26, 2017

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Sabemos que dejar de fumar no es fácil. ¡Tú puedes hacerlo con Quitxt! Quitxt es un servicio nuevo en español y en inglés que envía mensajes de texto con apoyo cultural y regionalmente adaptado para ayudar a los Sureños de Texas a dejar de fumar. El servicio convierte tu teléfono en un coach personal para dejar de fumar enviándote textos y enlaces en línea a contenido educativo, apoyo, música y videos. Esto te ayuda a estar motivado, fijar una fecha para dejar el cigarrillo, manejar el estrés y más – lo que ha sido comprobado que duplica tus chances de dejar de fumar. Para unirte a Quitxt en español, envía “lodejo” al 844-332-2058 o visita quitxt.org/spanish. Para unirte a Quitxt en inglés, envía “iquit” al 844-332-2058 o visita ...

SF Wants to Ban Menthol, E-Cigs to Affect Latino and Black Youth

April 25, 2017

Editor's Note: This story was originally published by California Healthline San Francisco has unveiled a tough anti-tobacco proposal that would ban the retail sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco or tobacco-related products that are often the first choice of minority group members and teenagers who smoke. Supervisor Malia Cohen, sponsor of the proposed ordinance, joined Tuesday with public health experts and community advocates to announce the measure, which she said goes beyond more narrow laws on flavored tobacco in cities such as Chicago, Berkeley and New York. “The legislation I’ve authored is a full restriction on the sale of all flavored tobacco products, and that does include menthol. There are no exemptions,” Cohen said. This includes cigarettes, ...

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Cliff Despres

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