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Alyssa Gonzales

Articles by Alyssa Gonzales

Latinas Voice Improvements in Situation and Look to Accomplish More in the Future



Latinas account for 17% of all adult women in the U.S. today. Similarly, their population is the largest numeric increase of any major female racial or ethnic group, growing to 5.6 million from 2010 to 2022. A recent report from the Pew Research Center shows that half of Latinas say the situation in relation to education, employment, and earnings of Latina women in the United States is better now than it was 10 years ago, and a similar share say the situation will improve in the next 10 years. “Still, 39% of Latinas say that the situation has stayed the same, and 34% say it will not change in the next 10 years,” according to the report. Let’s dive deeper into the data and what it means for Latinas moving forward. Latinas and Education Attainment   The report ...

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Expand on Your Nutrition Education with CACFP Spanish-Language Resources



The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that ensures children and adults have access to nutritious meals and snacks by providing reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers. Additionally, the CACFP provides reimbursements for meals served to children and youth participating in afterschool care programs, children residing in emergency shelters, and adults older than 60 or living with a disability and enrolled in day care facilities. The National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) provides support and resources for the community and others that administer, organize, and participate in nutrition programs. The CACFP provides Spanish-language resources through the NCA ...

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Salud Talks Podcast Episode 43: Preparing for the Next Pandemic



The pandemic revealed long-standing gaps in infection control knowledge and understanding among the frontline healthcare workforce. This is why CDC launched Project Firstline, a training and education collaborative designed to ensure all healthcare workers, no matter their role or educational background, have the infection control knowledge and understanding they need and deserve to protect themselves, their patients, and their coworkers. Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, in partnership with the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) and CDC Project Firstline, brings you a two-part episode podcast series, “Behind the Mask,” to explore infection control. In this special Episode 43 of the Salud Talks Podcast, Dr. Jorge Moreno, assistant professor of medicine at ...

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Janette Ramirez: Big Goals to Help Underserved Communities



Janette Ramirez was looking for a way to help people. In her search, she walked into the Center for Service Learning, Internships & Civic Engagement (SLICE) at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). Ramirez jumped into multiple SLICE programs and helped empower the local community to overcome social injustices and disparities in health, education, and economic opportunities – and she left with a passion for serving others. “That’s how I came to find my love for community service and serving others, because, you know, it’s just really important,” Ramirez said. Today, Ramirez is still seeking to help as many people as she can. As a medical student going into her second year at Midwestern University in Arizona and as a Robert A. Winn Diversity in ...

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Protect Yourself and Others Against UV Rays This Summer


UV Awareness 2024

The month of July is UV Awareness Month! While enjoying the summer rays, it’s important to protect yourself and loved ones against the UV light that comes from the sun. As the summer heat continues and outdoor activities begin, let’s dive into best practices for UV protection and how they can help prevent sunburns, sun damage, and more! What are UV Rays? CDC defines UV rays as an invisible kind of radiation from the sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps. UV radiation is divided into 3 main groups: UVA: While they have the least energy of UV rays, UVA radiation makes up 95% of the all the UV rays that make it to the Earth’s surface. They can cause skin cells to age and can cause some indirect damage to cells’ DNA. UVB: UVB radiation makes up only 5% of the UV rays ...

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Percentage of Uninsured Latinos Decreases to 18%



US Latinos and other racial/ethnic minority populations made historic gains in healthcare coverage in the years after the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to five recent research briefs from the US Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). In the research brief focused on Latinos, research showed that the uninsured rate for nonelderly Latinos decreased from 32.7% to 18% from 2010 to 2022. However, the brief also found that Latinos are more than twice as likely as non-Latino Whites to be uninsured. Let’s further explore health insurance coverage among Latinos. Latinos Facing Health Barriers For Latinos, health outcomes are affected by factors like lack of health insurance, language and cultural barriers, and lack of access to care. “Studies ...

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Addressing Heart Failure in Latinos with Close the Gap Resources



Heart disease risk is high for U.S. Latinos, data shows. While most Latinos were aware of their cardiovascular risk factors, less than half of the adults in a study of stroke survivors had healthy blood pressure and cholesterol, and only half had healthy blood sugar levels, according to the American Heart Association. “Hispanic adults are more likely than white adults to develop heart failure. But Hispanic adults living with heart failure are less likely to get appropriate care and treatment than white adults living with heart failure,” according to a Close the Gap resource. This emphasizes the importance of targeted prevention programs and culturally relevant resources for Latinos to avoid stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular diseases. That’s where Close the ...

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Ruling Expands Health Care Coverage to DACA Recipients



Federal regulators recently published a final rule to expand healthcare for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and certain other noncitizens. The rule – which modifies the definition of “lawfully present” – essentially opens enrollment in the healthcare marketplace to those in the DACA program, many of whom are Latinos. The ruling will take effect on Nov. 1, 2024. Salud America! members were among 530 people who submitted a public comment last year to support this expansion of healthcare access to DACA recipients. “This overdue step is a critical victory for equitable access to health care,” according to the National Immigration Law Center. Let’s dive further into what this ruling means and how it will impact Latinos. What is DACA? ...

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11 Recursos Increíbles Para Cuidadores de un Ser Querido Con un Tumor Cerebral



Un tumor cerebral es un diagnóstico que cambia la vida. Pero no todos los tumores cerebrales son iguales. Son únicos, al igual que su impacto en el cuerpo, las emociones y la calidad de vida de una persona. Por eso necesitamos compañeros de cuidado. Las personas que enfrentan un diagnóstico de tumor cerebral a menudo dependen de un compañero de cuidado o cuidador: un amigo, un miembro de la familia u otra persona que ayuda con sus actividades diarias. De hecho, una cuarta parte de los estadounidenses actúan como cuidadores de un ser querido, ya sea un familiar o amigo. Vamos a explorar cómo un cuidador de alguien con un tumor cerebral puede equilibrar el cuidado con sus obligaciones personales y profesionales, y dónde puede encontrar apoyo y recursos. 1. Aprender ...

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