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Pramod Sukumaran

Sukumaran completed a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology and an MPH in Population Health Analytics. He curates content for Salud America! on family support and health projects at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio. His emphases is on the latest research, reports and resources related to various disease and policies, to improve Latino health.

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Articles by Pramod Sukumaran

Young POC Face High Risk of COVID-19 Hospitalization in the U.S.


Young POC Face High Hospitalizations in US

While the elderly are highly susceptible to becoming infected with the coronavirus, as well as its effects, young adults aren't off the hook, either. Those under the age of 44 make up a significant portion of coronavirus hospitalizations in the US, according to a new CDC report on July 10, 2020. Considering the high rate of infection among minority groups, young people of color are also facing significant threats. "I think everyone should be paying attention to this, and it's not just going to be the elderly," Stephen S. Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health told New York Times. "There will be people age 20 and up. They do have to be careful, even if they think that they're young and healthy." New Data Sheds Light The CDC's ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 7/14: How Coronavirus Can Affect Young Latinos


19-Ways-to-Ensure-Health-Equity-for-Latinos-During-and-After-COVID-19-coronavirus

While the elderly are highly susceptible to the coronavirus COVID-19, young adults aren't off the hook, either. Almost 40% of U.S. coronavirus patients who were sick enough to need hospitalization were between the ages of 20 to 54, according to recent CDC data and according to the recent CDC report the coronavirus pandemic has moved into younger populations across much of the US. Many reports suggested that Black and Latino Americans ages 18 to 64 are dying more frequently of COVID-19 than their white and Asian counterparts. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, to tweet about the latest research about coronavirus and its impact on young Latinos WHAT: #SaludTues: How Coronavirus Impacts People with Dementia TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST (Noon-1 p.m. CST), ...

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Jordana Barton: Helping Close the Digital Divide Amid COVID-19


Jordana Barton

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is surging across the U.S., and the American death toll has eclipsed 130,000. Worse, this crisis is widening the gap experienced by households without internet access — a long-festering problem that has made unequal educational opportunities even more unbalanced, said Jordana Barton, a senior advisor in community development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. "The COVID-19 pandemic has brought national attention to the digital divide—the gap experienced by households without internet access," Barton wrote. "Directives for social distancing and stay-at-home orders have made access to broadband an urgent necessity for families as they struggle to stay connected with schooling, jobs, health care, government assistance, and more." The Digital ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 6/30: How Coronavirus Impacts People with Dementia


dementia alzheimers people walking tweetchat slaudtues

Many data suggests that older adults are the most vulnerable to the worst effects of the coronavirus outbreak. We still have a lot to understand about dementia and risk for COVID-19. Evidence seems to indicate dementia-related behaviors, increased age, and common health conditions may increase risk. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, to tweet about the latest research about dementia and coronavirus! WHAT: #SaludTues: How Coronavirus Impacts People with Dementia TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST (Noon-1 p.m. CST), Tuesday, June 30, 2020 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: @UsA2_Latinos, @AlzheimersLA, @Diversealz, @DiverseElders @WellmedCharitab @CaregiverSOS @PublicHealthMap @VocesenSalud ADDITIONAL HASHTAGS: #COVID19, ...

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Telehealth for Latinos in the Age of Covid-19


Telehealth Latinos Age Covid-19

As shelter-in-place orders swept the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare providers’ implementation of telehealth expanded rapidly. In telehealth sessions, those seeking routine check-ups, mental health care, or other services can meet with their provider virtually using computers or other smart devices. This novel way of treating patients aims to look for ways to deliver care to patients in their homes to limit the transmission of the novel coronavirus. "The current public health emergency and the resulting accelerated growth potential in telehealth services is an opportunity for providers to enhance their care practices and for insurers and policymakers to recognize the value of telemedicine," a recent report from UCLA's Center for the Study of Latino health and ...

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Opioids Use and the Coronavirus Pandemic


Opioids Use Coronavirus Pandemic

U.S. Latinos are bearing an extraordinary burden when it comes to cases, deaths, other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Worse, this continues a trend of this group's continual hardship of experiencing health and social inequities. Many reports suggest that this trend of Latinos and other people of color being disproportionately affected is worsening already harsh historical inequities. One of those inequities is drug use. Moreover, COVID-19 and opioid addiction can impact and worsen each other, mainly for people of color. "As people across the U.S. and the rest of the world contend with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the research community should be alert to the possibility that it could hit some populations with substance use disorders (SUDs) particularly hard," Dr. Nora ...

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Study: 1 in 10 Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Diabetes Die Within a Week


Elderly woman with diabetes coronavirus in hospital bed sick

We know that older adults with underlying health conditions are most vulnerable to the worst effects of coronavirus. New data show that 10% of COVID-19 patients with diabetes die within one week of being hospitalized, according to a French study in the journal Diabetologia. Most hospitalizations are men and older adults (average age 69.8). The study also found that each increase in body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increase in the risk of intubation and/or death in the 7 days following admission for COVID-19, Dr. Samy Hadjadj told Medscape Medical News. "Before [this study] it was, 'all diabetes [patients] are the same.' Now we can surely consider more precisely the risk, taking age, sex, BMI, complications ... as clear 'very high-risk situations,'" Hadjadj said. "So ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 6/9: Smoking & Coronavirus⁠—Know the Truth


smoking & coronavirus man with mask quits smoking cigarettes amid covid-19

Smoking is bad for your health. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic has raised important questions as to just much how smoking can affect your risk for coronavirus and severe outcomes. Researchers are trying to find the truth. They're even examining the viral transmission of secondhand and thirdhand smoke. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, to tweet about the latest research about smoking and coronavirus outbreak and how we can use the latest technology to help people quit smoking! WHAT: #SaludTues: Smoking & Coronavirus—Know the Truth TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST (Noon-1 p.m. CST), Tuesday, June 9, 2020 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: Action Smoking & Health (@AshOrg) Public Health Maps (@PublicHealthMap) SPECIAL ...

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Major State Takes Action to Prevent a COVID-19 Housing Disaster


latino man in home housing apartment looking out window amid coronavirus pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on housing  Millions of Americans face are experiencing new levels of cost burdens. Worse, over half a million people will sleep on the streets any given night, according to a recent report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Still, this is not a new issue. Many U.S. cities were dealing with a homelessness crisis long before this outbreak. In 2018, 33 out of every 10,000 Californian residents were homeless. Now, the escalating pandemic has created a catastrophe threatening thousands of lives. During this pandemic, millions are homeless, and their lives are falling apart. They struggle to stay healthy, to hold jobs, to preserve personal relationships, to maintain a sense of hope. California in ...

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