Articles by Julia Weis

Study: Language Isolation Affects Latino Health

August 25, 2021

Older Latinos who live in neighborhoods where little English is spoken are at a higher risk of poor health and early death, according to a new study from the University of Georgia. “If you are linguistically isolated, you’re very likely to be isolated socially, and we know social isolation contributes to mortality,” said Kerstin Emerson, a co-author of the study. The study has implications for how language barriers and social cohesion in a community can affect health, particularly among elderly Latinos. What Does the Study Say about Language Isolation? Researchers at the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health conducted the study to determine if neighborhoods that are linguistically isolated impact health. The study analyzed data from a survey of over 1,100 ...

Study: Less Money is Spent on Latino Healthcare

August 17, 2021

Healthcare spending is disproportionately skewed toward white people, with less money spent on Latino patients, according to new research from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and others. “This study found statistically significant differences in estimated healthcare spending across six race/ethnicity groups, with differences present for total spending, age-standardized spending, spending by type of care, and health-condition-specific spending per notified case,” according to the study. The disparity has significant implications for policies needed for equity in healthcare spending. “Despite making up 18.5% of the U.S. population, only 11% of healthcare spending goes toward Latinos. We can address this disparity by examining the ...

#SaludTues Tweetchat 9/7: How to Improve Health Equity for Hispanic Heritage Month

August 12, 2021

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time where we can honor the history, culture, and diversity of the Latino community. Unfortunately, many Latinos in the U.S. still face many health inequities, including limited access to healthcare, poor nutrition and physical activity, low COVID-19 vaccination rates, and more. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, to discuss how we can improve health equity for Latinos while celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: How to Improve Health Equity for Hispanic Heritage Month TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, September 7, 2021 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: Public Health Maps (@PublicHealthMap); Latinx Voces en Salud Campaign (@VocesenSalud); ...

How This Latino Student Group Campaigned to Remove Discriminatory School Policing

August 11, 2021

Thanks to the efforts from the student-led community organization Gente Organizada, Pomona Unified School District will no longer allow police patrols to monitor campuses. The decision comes after years of campaigning against discriminatory practices by school police, which was amplified after the racial justice protests of 2020. Removing school police means Latino youth are safer from discrimination in school, as Pomona (71% Latino), a city in Los Angeles County, is home to many Latino and immigrant families. “This is a milestone that has been met,” said Caroline Lucas, a Pomona youth organizer, according to Los Angeles Times. “For me, it means that leaders can experiment with what transformative activists have been trying to do.” A Campaign Sparked by an Act of ...

Data: Child Poverty Grew for Latino Immigrants During COVID-19 Pandemic

August 10, 2021

Poverty rates among Latino families have grown immensely during the pandemic. The rates are worst for the children of Latino immigrants, according to new data from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families (Center). The disparity is mainly due to the heavy economic impact that the pandemic has had on immigrant families. “The increase in poverty rates among Latino children in immigrant families during the pandemic reflects, in part, a confluence of factors in the labor market,” according to the Center. There may also be a stigma against seeking federal assistance as well as a fear of the expired public charge rule. With equitable policies that target economic recovery for immigrants and education about the end of public charge, we can address these ...

What Latinos Should Know about the Moratorium on Evictions

August 4, 2021

After a federal moratorium on evictions put in place by the CDC last fall expired on July 31, 2021, the CDC has issued a new two-month moratorium through Oct. 3, 2021. This new moratorium will extend protections for the millions of families behind on rent due to the economic fallout of the pandemic, particularly Latino and Black families, who have been hit the hardest. Update 11/15/21: The Supreme Court ruled on August 26 to end the temporary stay on a lower court ruling seeking to overturn the CDC's federal eviction moratorium. "In doing so, the Supreme Court’s ruling invalidates the federal eviction moratorium, eliminating vital eviction protections that have kept millions of households – predominantly people of color – stably housed," according to the National Low Income ...

Bilingual Videos with Latino Doctors Help Answer Questions about COVID-19 Vaccines

August 3, 2021

Latinos are getting vaccinated for the COVID-19 vaccine at much lower rates than other groups. This mainly due to a lack of vaccine confidence and abundance of misinformation that is targeting Latinos, who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. That’s why Greater than COVID partnered with UnidosUS to launch a new bilingual video series, THE CONVERSATION / LA CONVERSACIÓN, to combat vaccine misinformation. By interviewing Latino healthcare workers who answer big questions, the series aims to promote vaccine confidence and urge Latinos to get vaccinated. “This is our chance to protect ourselves, those we love and our communities so we can start to heal,” said Dr. Ana G. Cepin, a doctor in the video series. About the Video Series THE CONVERSATION / LA ...

Giselle Rincon: A Venezuelan Immigrant Sending Help to her Home Country

July 29, 2021

When Giselle Rincon decided to start a nonprofit to help immigrants and offer humanitarian aid to her home country, she had no idea where to start with her background in teaching. “None of us have a nonprofit background, no clue how to begin a nonprofit, how to manage it. We have been learning every day, how to do it and talking to people, asking for consultants, asking for advice,” Rincon said. In 2014, Rincon started Venezuela’s Voice in Oregon along with a group of Venezuelan immigrants in the Portland, Oregon area. She and her team of eight team members work entirely pro-bono and volunteer their time outside of their full-time jobs. Through connecting with other nonprofit leaders and members in the Latino community, Rincon has taught herself how to run her growing ...

What Latinos Should Know About the Delta Variant

July 28, 2021

Across the country, COVID-19 cases are on the rise again, despite the vaccine being widely available. This due to the delta variant, a mutation of COVID-19 that is highly contagious. But what does the rise of the delta variant mean for Latinos, those who are vaccinated and those aren’t? Learn the important facts about the delta variant and how Latinos can stay safe. What is the Delta Variant? The delta variant is a highly contagious strain of COVID-19 that was first identified in India and has spread across the world. “The Delta variant is the fastest, fittest and most formidable version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 the world has encountered, and it is upending assumptions about the disease even as nations loosen restrictions and open their economies, ...

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Julia Weis

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