One of the many factors that contributes to the differences within mental health in the Latino community is lack of accurate and relevant resources. With this need in mind, Mental Health America (MHA) has launched a Spanish Mental Health Resource Center complete with Spanish-language resources and tools. Let's examine what these resources have to offer and why materials like these are important for Latinos.
Spanish Mental Health Resource Center
Fostering mental health awareness and support for all is crucial. “Language [hurdles] can make communicating with providers difficult, or even impossible, particularly when a person is seeking counseling for sensitive or uniquely personal issues,” according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “These ...
Late nights studying had become the norm for young Jorge Moreno. While he poured over his college textbooks, Jorge recalled the dream he’d had since he was very young – becoming a doctor – and he pushed himself to strive forward. “Échale ganas,” Jorge’s father would say in encouragement (“give it your all,” in English). With the support of his family and mentors, Jorge would go on to achieve his dreams and more. He would become a board-certified internal medicine and obesity medicine physician, and an assistant professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine. In this position, he would also become a liaison for the Latino community during the COVID-19 pandemic and play a critical role in infection control in both the community and clinical ...
The National Eye Institute has provided educational tools and resources in both English and Spanish that focus on vision rehabilitation. Let’s explore these resources and how they can be beneficial for Latinos and all people!
What is Vision Rehabilitation?
Millions of people in the United States are living with visual impairments like blindness, glaucoma, cataracts, and other vision problems. “A visual impairment can make it hard to do everyday activities like driving or reading,” according to the National Eye Institue. “A visual impairment can’t be fixed with glasses, contacts, or other standard treatments like medicine or surgery.” Vision rehabilitation can help make the most of the vision you have and improve quality of life. There are lots ...
Latinas make, on average, 52 cents for every $1 that white men make. This historic pay gap has worsened over time and contributes to poor health, especially in Latinas with expensive, chronic conditions, such as breast cancer. Breast cancer is one of the most expensive cancers to treat. It also happens to be the most diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer death among Latinas. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), we’re highlighting how unfair Latina pay negatively impacts Latina breast cancer health outcomes and survivorship.
Why Does the Latina Wage Gap Exist?
Women in general earn 82% of what men earn. The reasons for this wage gap are multifaceted, according to Pew Research. Half of US adults blame the employer for wage differences, agreeing ...
Where you live can hurt or help your health. In fact, our health is influenced by a variety of non-medical factors, such as the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work, and age. These conditions are known as non-medical drivers of health (NMDoH). Sometimes, needs can arise from differences in NMDoH. These needs include low wages and limited employee benefits; underperforming schools; lack of medical providers; unstable and unaffordable housing; low access to nutritious food; unreliable transportation options; and unsafe streets and parks. Here at Salud America!, we believe everyday people can make healthy changes in their community to address these needs. That’s right – you don’t need to hold political office to make a positive difference. Let’s ...
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. Many know the acronym FAST that helps identify a stroke – F (face drooping), A (arm weakness), S (speech), and T (time to call 911) – and can spur quick action to save lives. What can those who speak Spanish use? What does strokes in the Spanish-speaking community look like?
Using RÁPIDO to Identify a Stroke
While the FAST acronym can be helpful in spotting a stroke, it doesn't translate well in Spanish. In fact, just 58% of Latino adults in the U.S. can recognize stroke signs, compared to 64% of Black adults and 71% of white adults, according to a CDC ...
A big challenge for cancer survivors is a disruption in "cognitive functioning." Stress can contribute to lapses in attention, memory, and other mental abilities that can limit a survivor's daily activities and ability to work. To help, researchers from UT Health San Antonio and UT San Antonio will test a 6-month therapeutic Yoga program — along with supportive text messages and dietary guidance — to improve cognitive functioning in 35 Latina and 35 non-Latina breast cancer survivors. The pilot project, "Surviving is Not Enough: Enhancing Cognitive Function in Cancer Survivors through Movement and Introspection," is led by Dr. Daniel Carlos Hughes, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, and Dr. Joseph Houpt, professor of ...
Latinos make up more than 19% of the total US population, but account for only 6% of US physicians. In fact, less than one in four Latino adults report sharing a language or background with their physician. This lack of Latinos in medicine negatively affects Latino patient health. For example, studies show that a lack of variety in healthcare workers contributes to health differences, such as higher rates of maternal health issues in Latinas and worse health outcomes for Latino cancer patients. Additionally, a lack of Latinos in healthcare adds additional challenges for Latino patients to obtain background-significant and linguistically concordant care. In response to this critical shortage of Latino physicians, Drs. Michael Galvez and Cesar Padilla are leading a ...
Growing up, David Acosta was blessed to be part of a loving family with his mother and father, four brothers, and an abuelita in Southern California. They found joy in helping each other and others. Acosta realized in childhood he wanted to choose a future career that would bring joy to others – he decided to become a doctor. "I knew from an early age that I wanted to go into medicine and help out,” Acosta said. “My family [was] probably most instrumental in me going down this path.” Acosta went on to get his medical degree, practice medicine, and now serves as workforce leader at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). But his path wasn’t always easy.
The 'Familia' Side of Medicine
Acosta was introduced to medicine and its ...
