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Eric Moreno

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.

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Articles by Eric Moreno

New Medicare Proposal is Aimed at Reducing Diabetes



New plans were revealed on expanding Medicare to cover programs to prevent diabetes recently. Aimed at preventing diabetes among the millions at high risk for the disease, the new plans would pay for certain “lifestyle change programs.” There are more than 50 million Latinos currently living in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2050, one in three people living in the United States will be of Latino origin. Diabetes is an urgent health concern for the Latino community. The rates of diabetes among Latinos are almost double those of whites. The programs that would be paid for by Medicare would feature trained counselors “coaching” participants on healthier eating habits and increasing physical activity as ways to prevent Type 2 diabetes. These types of ...

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Child Poverty Rates in Colorado Decline


kids outside outdoors grass green

The child poverty rate in Colorado declined in 2014, marking the first consecutive decline in over a decade as was determined by the annual KIDS COUNT in Colorado! report. However, disparities still exist and improvements are not reaching all children. Colorado’s overall child poverty rate is 15%, which is still five points higher than it was in 2000. Poverty is defined as an annual income of less than $23,850 for a family of four. Disparities also remain significant for many children of ethnic and racial minorities. “We’re encouraged by the improvements in well-being for Colorado kids,” said Chris Watney, President and CEO of the Colorado Children’s Campaign. “These trends are buoyed by economic progress, as well as key policy changes supported by research. Breakthroughs ...

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Report Lists Unhealthiest Counties in Texas



A study performed by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute determined the least healthy counties in Texas. The study took into account numerous data sources regarding the health factors of populations, the ratio of dental and mental health care providers to people in the counties, socio-economic data, and unemployment data. Also taken into consideration were the typical length of life and quality of life. Based on the information, Brooks County (91% Latino population), located in the Rio Grande Valley, was deemed the least healthy county in the state. The report determined that 40% of all adults in Brooks County were of “poor health” and the obesity rate among adults was nearly 30%. The county also has an uninsured rate of 25% and 46% of the children in the ...

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MEDA Creates 100% Affordable Housing for San Francisco Residents



What happens when Latinos get "priced out" of the homes they've lived in for decades? People like Luis Granados step up. Granados, Christopher Gil, and other leaders of the nonprofit Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) didn't stand by when a tech boom in San Francisco’s Mission District (30% Latino)—a hub for the city’s immigrant population—brought in higher-priced homes and threatened to push out lower-income families. They embarked on a mission to create 100% affordable housing in the area. The rising housing costs in San Francisco Since 1973, the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) offers free financial services to lower-income families in San Francisco’s Mission District, a traditionally Latino neighborhood where most rent their homes, said ...

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Obesity Rates for Children on WIC Decline



A recent report from the Food and Nutrition Services found that obesity rates among children on WIC have continued to decline. The number of one-year-olds in WIC who are at or above the 97th percentile for weight compared to length decreased from 12% in 2010 to 10.2% in 2014. In addition, the report states that the proportion of children ages 2-4 who were considered obese decreased from 14.6% to 13.7%. Childhood obesity is a serious problem among the Latino community. One in four U.S. kids are already overweight or obese by age 2-5, with a higher rate among Latino kids (30%) than white kids (21%). Latinos comprise 32% of all WIC users and nearly 50% of all Latino children in the United States are served by WIC. Making the positive connection between nutrition and health, the ...

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Healthiest Counties in California Announced



Recently, the County Health Rankings for the state of California were recently released, and the figures revealed a great deal of information on the living conditions in the different counties. Marin County topped the list as the overall healthiest county in the state for the seventh year in a row. The study measured the overall health of counties measuring a number of factors including graduation rates, access to healthy foods, obesity, smoking rates, and teenage births. Marin County (15.74% Latino population) placed highest in life expectancy, had high rates of adults with good body weights, and low rates of violent crime and unemployment. “Community investments such as reserving land for open space and social norms around healthy eating and staying active have helped [Marin ...

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Latinos among California’s “Hidden Poor”



A study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has revealed the health struggles of specific demographics of California’s population. The research, entitled “Hidden Health Problems Among California’s Hidden Poor,” showed that one in four of California’s residents age 65 or older live alone and were “unofficially” in poverty. “These older adults—the ‘hidden poor’—have substantially more health problems and less access to care than those with higher incomes, but they cannot afford to pay privately for assistance and often do not qualify for public programs that could help them manage their health problems. Planners and policymakers need to pay more attention to this hidden poor population,” the report said. According to the findings, Latino seniors ...

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ACA Marks Anniversary with New Delivery System



Today, March 23, marks the 6th anniversary of the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law by President Barack Obama. An estimated 20 million people have gained health insurance since the ACA went into law in 2010. Latinos have been some of the biggest beneficiaries of the ACA; in 2014, an estimated 8 in 10 uninsured Latinos qualified for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), or lower costs on monthly premiums through the Health Insurance Marketplace. The ACA is providing the tools to help transform our health care system to one of better care, smarter spending and healthier people. More than 6 million uninsured young adults have gained health insurance coverage since 2010. For Latinos, 4.2 million between the ages of 18-64 gained health insurance ...

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Exercise May Help Latinos with COPD



Regular exercise could help boost the survival of people who have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new study has found. COPD includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis or a combination of two. It is often related to smoking. “We know that physical activity can have a positive benefit for people with COPD and these findings confirm that it may reduce the risk of dying following hospitalization,” said Dr. Marilyn Moy, assistant professor of medicine and Harvard Medical School and the study’s lead author. Within the U.S. Latino community, respiratory health is a key issue of concern, particularly because environmental pollutants and work conditions put Latinos at heightened risk of developing respiratory conditions and diseases. According to the ...

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