Amazon, one of the biggest American companies, made it clear that public transit is an essential component for choosing a site for their second headquarters. No matter what side of the "Amazon headquarters" debate you land, public transit is a pretty reasonable public good to request from a city because it plays a major role in health, equity, economic development, and sustainability. The thing is, public transit success depends not only on local investment to expand and improve service, but also commitment from federal partners. Yet, the federal government is proposing to eliminate the Capital Investment Grant program, which matches local funds to build new transit systems and upgrade existing systems. Transportation for America created a guidebook, Fight for Your Ride: An ...
Claudia Sanchez Lucas is described by many as humble, a trait learned from her mom and dad. Lucas is also strong and resilient, with a passion for helping people. Lucas has powerful curiosity that can one day help her push science in brave new directions. She’s growing her passion and curiosity as a master’s degree student in public health epidemiology at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, where she also earned a bachelor’s degree in health studies. She is excited to learn more about cancer epidemiology and neuroepidemiology, perhaps envisioning new interventions to stimulate brain health to help talented people maximize their mental capabilities even further. To further her training and education, Lucas applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership ...
Latinos are expected to face a 142% rise in cancer in coming years. That's the reason for the first-ever conference, Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos, which will unite over 200 cancer researchers and leaders to tackle Latino cancer from all angles on Feb. 21-23, 2018 at the Marriott Plaza San Antonio. The conference is co-hosted by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez’s Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio (the team behind Salud America!) and Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson. The conference will feature some amazing events: Eliseo Perez-Stable, Director, National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities, “The Science of Latino Cancer,” 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21
Edith Perez, VP of US Medical Affairs ...
The "worst flu season in a decade" flu has killed 84 children and remains widespread in 48 states, according to USA Today. And it's expected to continue for several more weeks. Fortunately, there is still time to protect yourself and your family! Even if you missed getting the flu vaccine months ago, health experts still recommended you get vaccinated—it can lessen flu severity, keep people from the hospital, and save lives. "Any type of vaccine is better than none," Scott Hensley, a University of Pennsylvania microbiologist who has led studies that raised critical questions about the vaccine, told the Associated Press. This is big for Latinos, who are much less likely to get vaccinated than their peers.
Why Get Vaccinated?
4 in 5 flu-associated deaths in children ...
"I didn’t know eating McDonald’s every day would hurt my triglyceride levels." Sadly, this is something Bertha Hidalgo heard when she talked to friends and family about heart disease. Simply put, many women had no idea. Not just about the details of Bertha's studies, such as a recent American Heart Association (AHA) report she helped author about disparities in treatment of heart disease and stroke. They didn’t even understand many of the basics about awareness, prevention, and treatment. “Their lack of certainty with some of these health topics means we’re not doing a good enough job as scientists and physicians to get the message out to the people who need it," Bertha told American Heart Association News. For example, do you know the answer to these ...
Did you know Latino kids are twice as likely to die from asthma than their peers? More than 1 in 10 U.S. Latino kids have been told they have asthma. These kids struggle with this incurable lung disease that causes recurring periods of wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath, and can result in missed days of school or emotional and physical stress. Why is this? Poverty plays a big role, but it's more than that, said Genny Carrillo of Texas A&M, who studies the disease. "Possibly due to more limited access to health insurance and health care providers and higher presence of environmental triggers such as pollution, dust and mold," Carrillo said. There is good news. A person with asthma can live and sleep without interruptions with proper ...
As a mother to her beautiful son, Paulina Monteon-Garcia realizes how far her parents went to help her have a better life. She wants to do the same for her son. Monteon-Garcia is well on her way, because she has a giving spirit and a desire to promote health for her family and the local population, through her work as outreach coordinator for the COACH for Kids and Their Families program in Los Angeles. The program uses mobile units to provide free medical services to underserved children and families across the city. Growing up in Riverside, Calif., Monteon-Garcia saw the need for culturally appropriate programs, and better health education and resources for low-income communities. That’s why she is a part of the COACH for Kids program, and why she has also worked with ...
Amherst, Mass., is a 73% white city. But with an emerging Latino population that includes about 1 in 5 Spanish-speaking families with kids in public schools, city leaders are ramping up to meet Latino needs, MassLive.com reports. They're even setting aside $54,000 to create a Latino community food program. "When we look at food access (it) is a real issue," Julie Federman, the city's health director, told MassLive.com. "Getting to a grocery store, getting to an affordable grocery store can be really challenging." U.S. Latinos face a big lack of access to support for economic stability, wellness, and education. Latino children often fall behind in school, and social and physical development, according to a Salud America! research review. Latinos especially lack access to ...
McDonald’s is removing cheeseburgers, shrinking French fry portions, and making chocolate milk less sugary in U.S. Happy Meals, in an effort to make its children's food more healthy, Reuters reports. The food company, first the first time, will set global limits for calories, sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in Happy Meals. The new standards will be implemented by June 2018. This is certainly a positive step. But it also begs the question: Can a Happy Meal really ever be healthy? This is an especially important question for Latino families. They tend to live in neighborhoods where fast food restaurants far outrank options for health food, according to a Salud America! research review. "Taken together, the changes do not transform burgers or chicken nuggets into ...
