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Amanda Merck

Merck completed her MPH with a concentration in Physical Activity and Health. She curates content for Salud America! (@SaludAmerica), a Latino childhood obesity prevention project based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. She focuses on the latest research, resources, and stories related to policy, systems, and environmental changes to enhance equitable access to safe places for kids and families to walk, bike, and play.

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Articles by Amanda Merck

Tell City Leaders: Open Streets for More Walking, Biking during Coronavirus!


open streets petition coronavirus covid-19

Medical and health experts agree that being active outside is crucial to maintaining physical and mental health—as long as we keep 6 feet of distance between each other amid coronavirus. But social distancing is hard when so many more people are using sidewalks, trails, and parks. That’s where open streets can help. Open streets, which close streets to vehicle traffic, create more outdoor space for people to walk, bike, roll, and stay active and socially distant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sign a petition by the Rails to Trails Conservancy to urge local leaders to close select streets to car traffic, and open them for human activity during this global pandemic! SIGN THE PETITION! The Growing Need for Open Streets As the U.S. coronavirus pandemic continues, trail ...

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Bicyclist’s Petition to Open Streets to People in Philadelphia During Coronavirus Crisis


Randy LoBassoPhiladelphia open streets

Randy LoBasso is pushing to make bicycling safer and more equitable in Philadelphia. But, as COVID-19 shut down businesses and schools, the bike-as-transportation enthusiast found people crowding local bike trails and making it hard to practice social/physical distancing. LoBasso had a thought. What if Philadelphia (15% Latino) closed streets to car traffic? Could people use streets to freely bike, walk, and be physically activity while also maintaining six-feet distance? LoBasso led an “open streets” petition and got the city to close a major street to cars, and open it for people walking, biking, and rolling. And he’s not stopping there. LoBasso Understands Need for Biking as a Means of Transportation, Access to Opportunity LoBasso isn’t a spandex-wearing ...

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How Schools Continue “Handle With Care” for Kids Amid Closures, Coronavirus


Handle With Care Salud Heroes

Over the past few years, dozens of U.S. schools launched the Handle With Care program to better support students facing childhood trauma like poverty and domestic violence. For the program, police alert school leaders when they encounter a child at a traumatic scene, so schools are prepared to keep an eye on the student and provide support or services. But now schools are closed due to coronavirus. So how are these schools adapting the Handle With Care program and maintaining meaningful connections with students in the face of school closures? We asked three people who got the Handle With Care program started in San Antonio. How Did Handle With Care Begin in San Antonio? Read or watch how Diana Centeno of San Antonio ISD (SAISD), John Hernandez of East Central ISD (ECISD), ...

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Chef, Food Advocate Team Up to Serve Free, No-Questions-Asked Red Beans and Rice


Jenn Yates and David Guas

Jenn Yates is an advocate who usually pushes for healthier school food in Arlington, Virginia (15.8% Latino). David Guas is a chef who usually is feeding people. These days, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Yates and Guas are a dynamic duo that provides free meals to vulnerable families to prevent hunger while schools and restaurants are closed. And, thanks to the advocate and the chef, red beans and rice are feeding thousands. May 5 UPDATE: The Chefs Feeding Families initiative has provided 18,000 meals to families across the DC metro area. Yates, the Advocate, Understands the Importance of Food Assistance Programs Yates grew up in a low-income, working family. She said she is grateful for food assistance programs like free meals at schools. “I got school meals as a kid,” ...

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Walking and Biking Are Way Up During COVID-19, Revealing Big Inequities in Open Spaces


Walking and Biking Are Way Up During COVID-19

With schools and retail stores closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, more people are going outside to walk and bike in communities across the country. Philadelphia and New York are closing some streets to cars and open them to people walking and biking. This gives people room to practice six-foot social distancing rules as they pick up groceries, get physical activity, and grab some fresh air amid the coronavirus lockdown. But some cities and states are closing parks amid virus fears. This worsens existing inequities in access to green and open spaces for Latinos and other disadvantaged communities. Equitable access to green and open spaces is more important than ever. Outdoor Recreation is Surging during Coronavirus Social media is abuzz about the spike in people outside ...

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Coronavirus Is Worsening Food Insecurity for Latino, Other Families


food security during coronavirus

The coronavirus outbreak is making it harder for Latino and other families to get enough food to feed their families, a condition also called food insecurity. People are stocking up on groceries and buying online in hopes of hunkering down and limiting social interactions, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. But families who rely on nutrition aid can’t stock up. They also can’t buy online. With many schools and farmer’s markets also closing, many families are struggling to replace school meals at home for their children. This is especially impacting Latino and black households, who are more likely to suffer food insecurity (16.2% and 21.2%, respectively) than the national average (11.1%). SNAP Benefits Not Adapting to Coronavirus Crisis As many families are piling up ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 3/31: Safe Routes to Healthy Food—Why & How


safe-routes-healthy-food-farmers-market-crosswalk-tweetchat

Everyone deserves a safe and reliable way to get to healthy food—whether a supermarket, farmers market, or food bank. Without nearby grocery stores, people must travel further or rely on corner stores, which often sell food that is poorer in quality and more expensive, and without crosswalks, sidewalks, and bike lanes, people walking and biking are at increased risk of injury or death. The Safe Routes National Partnership released a new report with policy implications, opportunities, and recommendations to help you advance safe routes to healthy food in your community. Let’s use #SaludTues on March 31, 2020, to tweet about the problem, opportunities, and policy recommendations to improve access to healthy foods, particularly for people without cars.   WHAT: #SaludTues ...

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$2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Bill Helps Airlines Over Transit, Corporations Over Workers


support emergency funding for public transit

As families practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19 and as governments close non-essential businesses, employees are losing their jobs and transit is losing ridership. Economists estimate that nearly three million Americans could lose their jobs by summer. Many of these are low-wage workers in service industries with little savings to get through a recession. Recently President Trump warned Senate Republicans that the coronavirus pandemic could cause the unemployment rate to reach 20%, according to NBC News. This is double the highest unemployment rate from the Great Recession. On March 25, 2020, U.S. legislators agreed to a $2 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus bill. “Without federal financial assistance, many transit agencies and paratransit service ...

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Gracias to the Latina Nursing Student Who Invented Hand Sanitizer!


Latina nursing student invented hand sanitizer

Clean hands are critical to reduce the spread of infection, particularly coronavirus (COVID-19). However, washing with soap and water isn’t always option. In 1966, nursing student, Lupe Hernandez, realized alcohol in gel form could be an effective way to clean hands when soap and water weren’t available. She called an inventions hotline to learn about patenting hand sanitizer. Over 50 years later, Hernandez's invention is still saving lives against threatening diseases and protecting brave medical professionals. Hand sanitizer sales and wipes has grown steadily. They expanded beyond hospitals and care homes to supermarkets and personal accessories. The U.S. market of hand sanitizer was $28 million in 2002. In 2009, hand sanitizer sales soared in the wake of ...

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