Just north of the Mexico-California border, the San Ysidro community is where nearly 1 in 5 people enter the U.S. by land to work, shop, learn, and see family. The result is a dynamic cultural exchange and a vibrant binational economic hub. Yet amid the hustle and bustle, environmental change has crept into this predominantly Latino community, adding pollution from heavy traffic, sewage contamination, and more. That is why community members came together to protect and educate their neighbors, leading to accomplishments in environmental justice that are chronicled in English and Spanish “story maps” by Community Voices for Action, a storytelling project from the AAMC Center for Health Justice. Let’s explore how community power led to a big change.
What Is Environmental ...
South Texas faces many challenges when it comes to brain cancer, such as struggles with non-medical drivers of health like housing, food, and transportation. To help your family and community deal with this issue, join a new presentation, “Brain Cancer Awareness,” at 11 a.m. Central on June 18, 2026. The presentation will feature Dr. Andrew Brenner, a brain health expert and professor of medicine at UT Health San Antonio. He will discuss what brain cancer is, risks and myths, recognizing symptoms, and the importance of early intervention. The presentation is part of the “Every Cancer, Every Story: A Series of Conversations” webinar series, a collaboration of the Mid Rio Grande Border Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and Mays Cancer Center Office of Community Outreach ...
Cancer is a serious health threat in South Texas. To improve cancer education and care for these communities, the Mid Rio Grande Border Area Health Education Center (MRGB AHEC) is launching the “Every Cancer, Every Story: A Series of Conversations” in collaboration with the UT Health San Antonio Mays Cancer Center Office of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE). The series will feature cancer-education webinars in June (brain), July (bone), September (prostate), and November (pancreas). “All cancers are equally important. They all impact on the quality of life for the individual, family, and community. The research shows that the earlier the detection, the earlier the treatment. Therefore, providing education on these types of cancer could lead to saving lives,” said ...
May is National Cancer Survivor Month, a time to celebrate and support those who have gone through a cancer journey! Let’s look at five ways to celebrate, honor, and support cancer survivors.
1. Read about Real Latino Cancer Survivors
At Salud America!, we’re inspired by personal stories of cancer survivorship. That is why we showcase amazing Salud Heroes like Marielle Santos McLeod, who survived colon cancer and now champions the patient voice through advocacy work. “It allows me the opportunity not only to be a [patient leader], but to also share the importance of why our [involvement in research] matters,” Santos McLeod said. Read more about these Salud Heroes: Read more about these Salud Heroes: Brittney Millard: Helping Patients and Persevering Through ...
In the United States, 1.8 million people are living with or in remission from a type of blood cancer, either leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), or myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). A blood cancer diagnosis can bring up many worries, emotions, and even confusion. That is why Blood Cancer United is aiming to help people with navigating their diagnosis journey with updated Survivorship Workbooks. Let’s take a look into what these workbooks consist of and how they can help families and communities maneuver cancer diagnoses. download the workbooks!
Workbooks Help Blood Cancer Patients Stay Informed
Blood Cancer United’s workbooks cover a range of topics related to blood cancer: Care plans
Long term and late effects
Healthy behavior ...
The month of May is Healthy Vision Month, a time to consider how our vision impacts our overall health and understand the importance of eye health. “When you make healthy lifestyle choices, like eating a balanced diet and staying physically active, you are also protecting your vision. In fact, there are several health conditions, like diabetes or high blood pressure, that can increase your risk of some eye diseases,” according to the National Eye Institute (NEI). With the help of NEI, let’s prioritize our eyes for Healthy Vision Month.
Get an Eye Exam
A comprehensive dilated eye exam helps check for eye diseases early on. “Even if your eyes feel healthy, you could have a problem and not know it. That’s because many eye diseases don’t have any symptoms or warning ...
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to spread awareness on the importance of mental health and promote helpful resources. With this in mind, Mental Health America created the Mental Health Month Action Guide. “There’s no right or wrong way to use this guide. Start where it feels helpful, skip what doesn’t fit, and come back as needed,” Mental Health America states. Let’s look closer into this guide and how it can help you and others.
Defining Good Days for Mental Health
The action guide aims to help users reflect on “good days.” “‘Good’ doesn’t have to mean happy or productive. It might mean calm, manageable, or something else,” according to Mental Health America. Through the action guide, Mental Health America provides several resources ...
Health care providers are the most common source of health information for Americans, who view them as more accurate than other sources, according to data from the Pew Research Center. Pew research shows that 85% of Americans say they get health information from health care providers at least sometimes. Next up, 66% of Americans learn from others going through similar health experiences, 36% get health information from social media, and 22% from AI chatbots. Let’s dig deeper into this data and learn more about how this can impact health of others.
Sources of Health Information
Pew Research Center surveyed 5,111 U.S. adults from Oct. 20 to 26, 2025, to better “understand how Americans make sense of today’s crowded health information environment in a moment in which the ...
May is recognized as Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, a time to learn about the impact of bladder cancer and spread awareness about bladder cancer resources. The American Cancer Society estimates about 84,530 new cases of bladder cancer. Bladder cancer is the fourth-most common cancer in men and 1 of 4 bladder cancer patients are women. Have you or someone in your family recently been diagnosed and aren’t sure where to start? Check out the following helpful resources from the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN). 1. Bladder Cancer Support Line (Bilingual) BCAN’s Bladder Cancer Support Line offers support by connecting patients with professional oncology social workers. “The call center’s staff will address the emotional, practical and informational ...
