Having fast, affordable internet can improve lives with access to education, healthcare, and jobs, among other important opportunities. But nearly 7 million Texans are being left behind, without high-speed internet. With this in mind, the Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) is encouraging public comments on the proposed Texas Digital Opportunity Plan. The digital opportunity plan focuses on “closing the digital divide in Texas and ensuring every Texan has the skills and abilities to fully and safely utilize broadband access.” Submit a comment on the draft plan to address broadband access, affordability, and adoption in Texas by Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Comment NOW!
Why Is the Digital Divide an Issue?
About 2.8 million Texas households are in the ...
We want all people to be as healthy as possible. How can we reach this ideal, especially as we face high rates of cancer and chronic disease and many people struggle with access to clinical trials, income, health care, food, housing, and other issues? You're invited to a webinar series, "Let’s Improve Health in South Texas and Beyond," a collaboration of the Salud America! program, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Genentech. We are planning three webinars in 2025: 3/4/25: The Thing that Could Save Your Life
4/23/25: Tipping the Scales toward Health
10/8/25: What You Should Know about Your Amazing Liver Here are the three webinars from 2024: 4/25/24: How to Identify and ...
2024 Poster: Enhancing Adherence to Hormone Therapy among Latina Breast Cancer Patients Impacted by Social Determinants of Health through a Bilingual, Culturally Tailored Mobile App and Patient Navigation 2024 Poster (Updated; PPT): Enhancing Adherence to Hormone Therapy among Latina Breast Cancer Patients Impacted by Social Determinants of Health through a Bilingual, Culturally Tailored Mobile App and Patient Navigation 2024 Poster (Updated; PDF): Enhancing Adherence to Hormone Therapy among Latina Breast Cancer Patients Impacted by Social Determinants of Health through a Bilingual, Culturally Tailored Mobile App and Patient ...
With the winter season in full swing, it’s peak time for flu, COVID-19, and RSV. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two. But RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. Latino children also face a “significantly higher burden.” “[A recent study] found that 59% of the burden of respiratory infections [including RSV] was distributed among Blacks and Hispanics,” MD Newsline reports. Let’s dive into how RSV can be transmitted, common symptoms, and how you can protect yourself and loved ones from getting infected.
What Are the Symptoms of RSV?
People infected with RSV usually show symptoms within 4 to 6 days after getting infected, ...
Did you know Latino kids consume more sugary drinks—soda, sports and energy drinks, sugary fruit juices, and flavored milk—than the average child? Heavy consumption of sugary drinks puts children at greater risk of obesity and disease. This is why Healthy Eating Research created a new toolkit to help healthcare systems add a beverage screener to their electronic health record (EHR) system to ask parents questions about their child's sugary drink consumption. The goal is to identify "unhealthy beverage consumption patterns in young children and [help] families develop healthy beverage habits," according to the toolkit.
How Can You Start Screening for Sugary Drinks?
The new toolkit shows how health systems can start screening for sugary drinks as part of their electronic ...
The COVID-19 pandemic hurt public trust in healthcare and science. Trust is especially low among communities that experience health differences and challenges to healthcare, according to Dr. David W. Baker of The Joint Commission in Illinois. “Black and Latino communities faced inadequate testing, financial [challenges] to care, and high rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths, further threatening their trust in physicians, the health care system, public health, and science,” Baker wrote in his article, Trust in Health Care in the Time of COVID-19. Misinformation and a lack of trust in healthcare can spur a cycle of reduced care and ultimately contribute to worse health outcomes. But how can trust in healthcare be restored?
Reasons for Latino Distrust in Healthcare
Several ...
Latino and Black parents were less likely than White parents to say they felt their child was “very safe” from COVID-19 when they were at school, according to a recent study. How can you protect your children? Vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and your children against the worst outcomes of the virus – and COVID-19 vaccines are available and free for children! Let’s explore how “You’re Covered” against COVID-19!
COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations for Children
As of Sept. 12, 2023, CDC recommends that everyone ages 5 and older get one dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19. CDC recommends the 2023-2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax, to protect against ...
This holiday season, as many of us prepare to celebrate with friends and familia, it is important to do all we can to stay healthy and protect against COVID-19. To prevent severe illness, vaccines are still our best tool. The good news is: You’re covered! Updated COVID-19 vaccines are now available and remain free of cost to you! See how you can “Come Home Covered” against COVID-19 during the holidays!
Should We Worry about COVID-19?
COVID-19 has not gone away. U.S. Latinos continue to suffer a large share of cases. Also, CDC data shows that the percentages of positive tests, hospitalizations, and deaths have increased from October 2023 to December 2023. With holiday celebrations upon us, it’s crucial that people and their loved ones are up to date with their ...
Where you live can have a big impact on your health. In fact, our health is influenced by a variety of non-medical drivers, such as the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work, and age. These conditions are known as the non-medical drivers of health (NMDoH). Addressing NMDoH is key to improving health for Latinos and all people, said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, in a panel presentation on Dec. 5, 2023, at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. "What we’re finding is that [issues with NMDoH can] negatively impact our health," Ramirez said.
Screening for Non-Medical Drivers of Health (NMDoH)
Studies suggest that NMDoH accounts for between 30-55% of health outcomes. NMDoH ...
