Eric Moreno is a Content Curator with the Salud America! program at UT Health San Antonio. He specializes in covering the topics of health equity and family and social support. He holds a BA from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an MA from Gonzaga University.
President Barack Obama recently reviewed one of the signature pieces of his administration in an article contributed to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Writing as “Barack Obama, J.D.,” the President reflected on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its six years of implementation. The President gave praise to the healthcare overhaul and pointed out how the ACA has sharply reduced the number of uninsured in the United States while improving coverage for those who already had it. The current enrollment numbers, as of February 2016, are 12.7 million enrolled through the marketplace, and nearly 20 million total between the ACA between the Marketplace, Medicaid expansion, young adults staying on their parents plan, and other coverage provisions. “The Affordable Care ...
The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign has recently released a new resource to help bridge the gap between schools and organizations in an effort to enroll eligible children in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Schools have been proven to provide important in-roads to families with children eligible for Medicaid and CHIP. The campaign developed the School-Based Outreach and Enrollment Toolkit to help make that connection. The Toolkit highlights strategies to integrate enrollment into existing school processes, such as including questions on new student registration forms—and developing sustainable outreach partnerships. Tips and customizable tools for working with different members of the school community (from nurses and social ...
The city of Austin, Texas (34.83% Latino population) is one of the country’s fastest growing metropolitan areas. In addition to being the state’s capital, it is also home to a thriving tech industry base, a large college town, and a growing center for the entertainment industry. Like many cities in Central and South Texas, it is also a majority-minority city. No demographic group is currently the majority Austin’s population. When it comes to representation in the city government, Austin’s diversity has led to some considerable challenges. To address these long-standing concerns and feelings of inequality and representative inequity, the city has begun the creation of an Equity Office. “We felt like there were not enough Latina women in positions at the very top,” said ...
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will award 10 research grants of more than $7 million aimed at eliminating inequities in access to care and improving the oral health of children. These awards support the Multidisciplinary and Collaborative Research Consortium to Reduce Oral Health Disparities in Children an initiative of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). “By establishing this research consortium, NIDCR seeks to lead national efforts in reducing childhood oral health disparities,” said NIDCR Director Dr. Martha Somerman. “Among the projects awarded are those that test innovative health promotion and disease prevention strategies and evaluate and refine existing programs and policies.” It has been reported by the NIDCR that children ...
According to a new survey from the Health Assessment and Research for Communities (HARC), a Palm Desert, California nonprofit that specializes in health-related surveying and data, one in 10 adults in California’s Coachella Valley (74.1% Latino population) have been diagnosed with diabetes, yet even more are living with the disease undiagnosed or are at high-risk for developing the disease. HARC determined that 10.3% of adults living in the area (a total of over 36,000 people) have been diagnosed with diabetes, a rise in the prevalence of the disease from 2010 when the survey found 9.1% have been diagnosed. Researchers have long known that people of Latinos are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes than Whites. The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) found ...
Economic development is a key factor in every city’s growth. Over the last several decades, local economic development in the United States has usually involved cities, states, and regions battling against one another in an effort to attract new residents, companies, and jobs. Typically, the trend for economic development comes in the form of tax breaks, subsidies, location incentives, and favorable tax rates. However several cities are now using a new strategy to generate economic development. Boise (7.74% Latino population), Denver (31.2% Latino population), and Pittsburgh (2.66% Latino population) are some of the many cities that are creating walkable, vibrant, inclusive neighborhoods that are attracting residents and employers, supporting existing businesses, and fostering ...
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced changes to its Distressed Asset Stabilization Program (DASP), which brings relief to families with severely delinquent home mortgages. The program, part of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), would allow those that qualify to reduce their principal loan amount. Housing is well understood to be an important factor of physical and mental health and well-being. Certain families with distressed mortgages could soon be eligible for a reduction of their outstanding loan amounts as part of the new regulations. Families that pay excessive amounts of their monthly and/or yearly income for housing often have insufficient funding remaining for other needs, such as food, medical insurance, and preventative ...
The Texas Transportation Commission recently awarded more than $75 million in funds (state and federal) to transit providers that provide services to the state’s veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and those who need assistance getting to work, school, healthcare facilities, and other important destinations. “Independence and quality of life for our state’s public transit users will be enhanced through this funding,” said Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Executive Director James Bass. “We are grateful for the collaboration with our partners around the state who ultimately are helping us provide meaningful transportation solutions for Texans.” Latinos currently make up 38.4% of the total population of Texas. The transit agencies supported by these new ...
Many Americans take a large number of factors into consideration when choosing where they live. These factors include the quality of the schools in the area, the strength of the local economy, and the safety of the area. Still, most people do not control where they are born, live or move to. Millions of Americans find themselves living in cities that lack jobs, amenities, and security. Online magazine 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the data from 550 U.S. cities with populations of 65,000 or more according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Based on a number of variables, such as crime rate, employment growth, access to restaurants, educational attainment, and housing availability, the site identified the worst cities to live in. Income is highly associated with numerous social and economic factors. ...
