Susan G. Komen for the Cure recently launched its Breast Cancer Education Toolkit for Hispanic/Latino Communities, a free, online resource that arms educators with Latino-culture specific communication resources, videos, and practical tools. But what affect can using the toolkit have? Yarazetd Mendoza-Camargo of the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia wrote a blog post to share how developing and utilizing the Toolkit empowered her and her colleagues to share information with local Latinas, and build a closer community relationship. "The tips it includes to approach our audience create an inviting atmosphere to share sensitive information," Mendoza-Camargo wrote. "For example, two women came into the Consulate for services and while they were waiting, they listened to the breast ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Eduardo Santiago-Rodriguez
Naranjito, Puerto Rico Despite growing up in poverty-stricken neighborhoods in Naranjito, Puerto Rico, Eduardo Santiago-Rodriguez was able to see the sincerity and beauty of the environments, people and culture—and he learned and important lesson: “Great things can be done to help others with only giving your time.” Motivated by his childhood experiences and family support, Santiago-Rodriguez earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón Campus, and a master’s degree public health in epidemiology from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences ...
Philadelphia's Westside is home to many families who struggle to make ends meet, and also to put healthy, nutritious food on the table. An initiative led by People’s Emergency Center (PEC), Fresh Start Foods and Drexel University hopes to bring a little hunger and economic relief to these neighborhoods. The initiative, called Fresh Start Foods West Philadelphia, will provide fresh and healthy prepared meals for local schools while offering out-of-work young adults culinary apprenticeship jobs that provide living wages with benefits. Additionally, a retail store offering healthy meals to the community will be developed. The store is scheduled to open in fall 2015. Fresh Start Foods West Philadelphia has been boosted by more than $700,000 in federal and state grants, including ...
In 2012, health officials from Buncombe County, North Carolina partnered with a local hospitals and community organizations, to conduct a community-wide health assessment. What they learned was that close to 30% of Buncombe adults were obese; 33% were overweight; 37% of adults had high blood pressure; and 7.9% of the community suffered from diabetes. After learning about the dire health challenges that residents faced, the county health department quickly took action by coming up with a plan to improve the health of the community. As part of the plan the health department formed local partnerships and came up with six health priorities which included goals to address obesity and improve child health. These key partnerships and collaborations, led to the formation a number of ...
What is health equity? The answer to this question, which has strong implications for Latino and other minority populations, is part of a new series of infographics from the Health Equity Institute at San Francisco State University. Infographic 1 defines health equity as "efforts to ensure that all people have full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives" and identifies a framework to show how social, economic, and environmental conditions affect health and health equity in a number of ways. To achieve health equity, we must treat everyone equally and eliminate avoidable health inequities and health disparities. Health inequities (Infographic 2) are health differences "that are avoidable, unfair, and unjust." Health disparities (Infographic ...
Many exciting food access initiatives are happening in South Carolina, where Latinos are the fastest growing minority population. In the city of Spartenburg, non profits and community leaders have transformed food desert areas by planting community gardens and doubling SNAP benefits at the farmers' market. But folks in Spartenburg wanted to do more, so they have created Harvest Park in the underserved Northside neighborhood. This ground-breaking shopping plaza represents all aspects of the food system. It will be the permanent home of the Hub City Farmers' Market, which will now be able to operate year-round. The urban farm at the rear of the property cultivates produce on a half-acre site, the bounty of which eventually ends up in the Hub City Farmers' Market’s Mobile Market ...
All communities deserve the right to be healthy! That's why partners from the Advisory Board Company, the de Beaumont Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have teamed up to launch the BUILD Health Challenge. The BUILD Health Challenge is a national award program aimed at providing support to communities who are interested in collaborating with other groups to improve the health of high risk communities. Through the BUILD Health Challenge up to 14 communities will be awarded grants of $75,000-$250,000 for the planning and implementation of their projects. To be eligible to apply, applicants must: Have the support of a three-way partnership between a hospital or health system, the local health department, and at least one not-for-profit ...
Each culture brings a unique constellation of family dynamics that contribute to an individual’s mental health. In the Latino community, family impact on mental health, specifically eating disorders, can contribute to whether or not an individual seeks help. Unfamiliarity with eating disorders and difficulty connecting with the struggles of a family member may result in a decreased likelihood of seeking treatment. Let’s tweet about the impact, treatment, and stigmas of eating disorders among Latinos: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Eating Disorders and Latinos”
DATE: Tuesday, December 2, 2014
TIME: Noon CT (1:00 PM ET)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: @TheBellaVita We’ll open the floor to your stories and experiences as we ...
The American Heart Association (AHA) is urging Hispanic families to discuss heart health, given their struggles with heart disease, VoxxiNews reports. More than one-third of Hispanics have heart diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, hypertension, heart failure, and irregular heartbeat. Hispanics also have elevated risk factors, like obesity and diabetes. Here are seven reasons Latinos should take heart disease seriously, via VoxxiNews: Among Mexican-American adults age 20 and older, 33.4% of men and 30.7% percent of women have cardiovascular disease (CVD).
2.8% of Hispanic adults have had a stroke.
Men, blacks, and Mexican Americans have higher rates of TIA (mini-stroke) than their female and non-Hispanic white counterparts.
Mexican Americans have higher cumulative ...
