Brain health is important – but we often overlook it. The World Health Organization defines brain health as the “state of brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioural and motor domains, allowing a person to realize their full potential over the life course.” While we can take action to maintain our brain health and mental health, conditions such as brain tumors and dementia can affect the brain and disrupt our lives. As part of Brain Cancer Awareness Month in May, let’s use #SaludTues on May 14, 2024, to explore how to maintain brain health and find out what we should know about brain tumors, dementia, and mental health, especially among the Latino population. WHERE: Twitter
WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat “Why Is Brain Health So ...
There are a now 600 U.S. colleges and universities designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), a 5% increase over last year’s 572 recognized institutions. HSIs are accredited, degree-granting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education with 25% or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment. “The rate that Hispanic-Serving Institutions continue to grow emphasizes their importance to the communities they serve,” said Antonio R. Flores, leader of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), in a press release. Let’s observe the numbers and how this impacts Latino students.
HSIs By the Number
HSIs enroll 5.2 million students and two-thirds of all Latino undergraduates, according to HACU. As ...
Nearly half of healthcare workers say they often feel burned out. That is why CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently launched the Impact Wellbeing Guide: Taking Action to Improve Healthcare Worker Wellbeing. “The role of healthcare workers in taking care of all of us is absolutely vital to our society, to our economy, and to our culture. But our healthcare workforce needs to feel supported, too,” said Dr. John Howard, NIOSH director, in press release. Let’s explore the guide, its six action steps, and how it can benefit Latino healthcare workers!
What is the Impact Wellbeing Guide?
NIOSH and the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation designed the Impact Wellbeing Guide to help hospital leaders and executives accelerate or supplement ...
COVID-19 “completely erased the mortality advantage” that the Latino population had compared to the other populations, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Let’s dive into the new data on Latino mortality.
What Is Excess Mortality?
The Census Bureau refers to excess mortality as deaths from any cause above what is expected from recent mortality trends. Excess mortality is calculated as the difference between the actual mortality rate and the mortality rate expected to see in the hypothetical absence of the COVID-19 pandemic. “An additional 573,000 people died in the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic but ‘excess mortality’ at the national level masks substantial variations by state, age, sex, and race and ethnicity,” ...
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced its request for $7.2 billion as part of President Joe Biden’s fiscal year (FY) 2025 proposed budget. FDA’s request, which is about 7% higher than last year, covers the agency’s top health priorities. “This funding will allow the agency to enhance food safety and nutrition, advance medical product safety, help support supply chain resiliency, strengthen the agency’s public-health and mission-support capacity, and modernize the FDA’s infrastructure and facilities,” according to an FDA News Release. Let’s dive into what these requests entail and how it can impact Latinos.
Enhancing Food Safety and Nutrition
FDA is requesting $15 million to protect and promote a safe, nutritious U.S. food supply through the ...
CDC’s Project Firstline has developed Infection Control Micro-Learns – a series of guided infection control discussions that can be easily incorporated into team meetings or huddles facilitated by an experienced team member with infection control expertise. Each micro-learn focuses on a single infection control topic and connects these concepts to immediate, practical value. With the help of these micro-learns, healthcare workers can easily apply key points to their daily work and perform the recommended actions to keep germs from spreading. Let’s explore Infection Control Micro-Learn on diarrhea!
What to Do When You See a Patient with Diarrhea
Diarrhea is loose, liquid stool. Some people have chronic diarrhea, it is their normal bowel function. When diarrhea ...
An estimated 17.5 million Latino voters will cast ballots in the 2024 Election in November, a record high, according to a report from the NALEO Educational Fund. This is a 6.5% increase in Latino voter turnout from Election 2020. “With more than one of every 10 voters in 2024 expected to be Latino, our community is poised to play a decisive role in the presidential election and others throughout the nation,” said NALEO Educational Fund CEO Arturo Vargas in a press release. Let’s dive into the numbers and explore how this impacts Latino voters!
Latino Voter Projections
Overall, 11.1% of all voters are projected to be Latino in Election 2024. While the national Latino vote is projected to increase 6.5% from 2020 turnout numbers, the national ...
Check out USDA’s new data tool called the Child Nutrition Dashboard! The dashboard, which is comprised of public data published in the child nutrition tables, can help federal, state, and local organizations assess trends in child nutrition program activity. “The goal of the dashboard is to provide national and state level visualization of meals served, participation, and funding data for the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program,” according to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Let’s dive into how this tool can be used and why it benefits Latinos!
Nutrition Dashboard Insights
The Child Nutrition Dashboard provides information on participation, meals served, ...
Martha Castilla loves helping people. Her compassion started as a young girl, as her family came to San Antonio from Mexico. “I started helping my brothers and sisters when we got to this country because they didn't speak English,” Castilla said. Today, Castilla works as a promotora de salud, or a community health worker, educating the Latino community about health and wellness. That includes getting the COVID-19 vaccine herself – and sharing how others can, too. COVID-19 vaccines are available and free for adults and children, and they’re the best way to protect yourself and your familia against the worst outcomes of the virus. Because, when the pandemic hit, Latinos like Castilla were on the front lines. “I remember when we went to ...
