To truly improve patient and community health, we must address the non-medical drivers of health, such as access to housing, transportation, and food that can make it harder for people to stay healthy. That’s where screening for the non-medical drivers of health (NMDoH) comes in. Screening for the non-medical drivers of health is a questionnaire given to patients in a healthcare setting to help providers identify their needs. These include issues like financial hardship, housing, and food. Patients can then be referred to helpful community resources. You can use the new Salud America! Action Pack, “How to Start Screening for the Non-Medical Drivers of Health,” to launch screening in your clinic, hospital, or healthcare system! The action pack, created by Dr. Amelie G. ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, joined other cancer experts to discuss participation in clinical trials, research, and healthcare on a podcast episode for the Cancer History Project by The Cancer Letter. The episode features: Dr. Ramirez
Dr. Luis Carvajal-Carmona, University of California, Davis
Dr. Edith Perez, Mayo Clinic
Dr. Marcia Cruz-Correa, University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Yolanda Sanchez, University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Ruben Mesa, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center (moderator) The group explores cancer and clinical care among people with different backgrounds. “The pipeline issue continues to be a huge issue for us,” said Ramirez, ...
Two million Texans lost their Medicaid health insurance coverage in part due to state errors after federal funding to Texas ended after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent article from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. Many who feel “wrongly removed” are struggling to regain their coverage. “Texas’ zealousness in removing people from Medicaid was a choice that contradicted federal guidelines from the start,” according to the article. “That decision was devastating in Texas, which already insures a smaller percentage of its population through Medicaid than almost any other state and is one of 10 that never expanded eligibility after the passage of the Affordable Care Act.” If you’re struggling with a Medicaid application in Texas, you can share your story ...
Cancer can be many things. Some describe cancer as a journey, a struggle, or a fight. For Brittney Millard, a breast cancer diagnosis was a life-changing event that gave her the passion to help other cancer survivors. “It's really what's in your heart. You can [help] people you know in your daily life, just spreading awareness and taking initiative,” Millard said. Millard, 32, an intern at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, still faced many hardships with her cancer experience. But now she aims to help others avoid pitfalls she went through. Let’s learn more about her inspiring story and her goals for helping others.
A Major Life Change
A native of San Antonio, Millard described her childhood as difficult. Growing up, ...
Stomach cancer is a fairly uncommon type of cancer.
Yet, every year, 26,000 new cases of stomach cancer are diagnosed in the US, causing the deaths of 11,000 people (42.3%), according to Debbie’s Dream Foundation, a national organization for stomach cancer awareness and fundraising.
For National Stomach Cancer Awareness Month in November, Debbie’s Dream is hosting a Zumbathon fundraiser in San Antonio among other events nationally. Zumbathon Fundraiser
Get ready to sweat for a good cause! The new San Antonio Spurs basketball training facility is about to be decked out in periwinkle for a very special Zumbathon fundraiser.
The fundraiser is set for The Rock at La Cantera, located at 1 Spurs Way in San Antonio, on Saturday, Nov. 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT. Check in for the ...
Climate change threatens communities by worsening air quality and increasing chronic disease risk and intensifying deadly storms, droughts, and heat waves. Certain communities – low-income neighborhoods and overlooked people – often suffer most because they suffer from health gaps, are more exposed to climate risks, and have a lower ability to prepare, adapt, and recover from their effects. How vulnerable is your community to climate change? The new U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI), a mapping tool, uses environmental, social, economic, and infrastructure data to help you understand your community’s ability to respond and adapt to climate change. “Better understanding of the intersection of vulnerability and climate change risks is key to effectively building ...
Volunteering for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s helps other people. It gives the volunteer a nice emotional boost, too. So why not volunteer your “digital voice” or “actions”? We at Salud America! invite you to take or start these 14 actions to promote health for Latino and all families this holiday season!
1. Help Prevent Birth Defects: Add a Warning Label on Unfortified Corn Masa Flour
Are the corn masa products you eat fortified with folic acid? Because too many babies in the Latino community suffer from birth defects like spina bifida, UnidosUS and its partners submitted a citizen petition asking the FDA to require a warning label on unfortified corn masa flour and products. The warning would alert consumers when corn masa flour, tortilla chips, ...
Breast cancer survivors were less likely to meet physical activity guidelines than women without cancer, according to a recent study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. In addition, certain survivors, including Latinas, also had low rates of physical activity. “Low physical activity participation among breast cancer survivors may be related to various clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics,” according to the study. Let’s dive into this research and what it means for Latina breast cancer survivors.
Physical Activity and Survivorship
Setting fitness goals with physical activity is an important part of breast cancer survivorship. “Research shows that getting to and staying at a healthy weight, eating right, and being physically active ...
Obesity is one of the biggest modifiable risk factors for cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea. It’s also plaguing the health of Americans, especially people living in rural or overlooked communities, such as Latinos. Latinos continue to be affected by obesity with a prevalence of 35% or higher in Latino adults living in 34 US states and territories, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Let’s dive into the new statistics on adult obesity in the US, what’s driving it, and what interventions can help address it.
Adult Obesity
All states and territories in the US had an obesity prevalence higher than 20% in 2023, which is the equivalent of 1 in 5 US adults, according to the CDC. The highest obesity ...
