Elva Yañez—with her neighbors and allies—waged a campaign that has lasted over 15 years to preserve one of the last unprotected open green spaces in her Northeast Los Angeles community of El Sereno. Before working on healthy equitable land use issues, she worked in tobacco control. When she recognized similarities in the way tobacco companies and land developers fought to protect private interests from government regulation, she began using tobacco control tactics to fight for environmental justice. With the help of others, she led an effort to stop one particularly harmful residential development in her community that had serious public health and safety consequences. Throughout the campaign she knew she wanted to go upstream and address the systemic conditions that allowed ...
Decades of decisions fueled by structural racism have built a society with no health equity, where many groups lack a fair, just opportunity to be their healthiest. This is especially true in our transportation system. Past and present planning, policy, and funding decisions have failed to provide equitable, affordable, safe, convenient, and reliable transportation options for all, from the local to federal levels. Dismantling these inequities requires intentional effort. That’s why Smart Growth America conducted a field scan to explore promising opportunities to achieve equitable public infrastructure, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report spells out the six biggest challenges to health equity facing our transportation system (and the 40 ...
When Julia Maues was 29, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy who had a full head of hair—while she had no hair at all due to chemotherapy for breast cancer. During her pregnancy, she was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer. Maues began chemo while pregnant, which is the standard of care. After her son was born in 2013, she underwent more tests she couldn’t have while pregnant. Doctors found that her cancer had already spread to her brain, liver, and bones. After trying different drugs and finding the right one, the cancer started to respond to the therapy. There were (and still are) many setbacks: Most drugs don’t penetrate the brain, many drugs harm the heart, the side effects can be debilitating, and her incurable illness has taken a huge emotional toll on ...
How much do you know about the U.S. Census? This year, Americans will be given the opportunity to participate in this national count of the people living in America today. Experts, including those from the Census Bureau, say every single person alive needs to complete this survey — it impacts health, local funding, and so much more. Census Bureau Deputy Regional Director Dennis Johnson and Media Specialist Ximena Alvarez join to talk about this once-in-a-decade event and its importance to the American people. Check out this discussion on the #SaludTalks Podcast, Episode 15, "Everyone Counts"! WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion on telling stories, everyday individuals stepping up, and Salud America!'s Salud Hero series GUEST: Census Bureau Deputy Regional Director ...
Volunteering for Christmas and New Year's helps other people and is proven to give the volunteer an emotional boost, too. So why not volunteer your "voice"? Speak up with these six actions to promote health equity for Latino and all families this holiday season!
1. Start ‘Handle With Care’ So Police Alert Schools if Kids Are Exposed to Trauma!
60% of U.S. children have been exposed to violence, crime, or abuse. These kids still have to go to class. They carry a burden of trauma that can interfere with their behavior and grades. And schools don’t know there’s an issue at home. Enter “Handle With Care.” Download the free Salud America! “Handle With Care Action Pack” to start a Handle With Care program. In the program, police notify schools when they ...
They say a picture can illustrate what at times words cannot. That is what drove Jayme Hannay to lead a decade-long project that encouraged teen empowerment, advocacy, and healthy change in New Britain, Connecticut — Photovoice. Hannay and her team teach local teens about photography, but for an ethical cause: Showcase how the local environment contributes to health issues, and spur solutions. With core support from the Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program and a research grant from Salud America!, they launched the Healthy Tomorrows for Teens project. “Photovoice can expedite policy change because it makes community members co-researchers in assessing their environment and allows for rapid translation of their findings into action," said Hannay, a project ...
Youth leaders across the nation are working to promote health equity in their communities. We at Salud America! have seen amazing Latino youth push for healthy changes for schools, corner stores, restaurants, bus stations, technology, and environments. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, to tweet how cities, businesses, and other groups can work together to cultivate more youth leaders and mobilize action for health equity! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Latino Youth Leadership─Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOST: County Health Rankings (@CHRankings), Afterschool Alliance (@afterschool4all)
HASHTAG: ...
Abiding by the constitution’s directive to number the population once a decade, the U.S. Census Bureau is in full swing preparing for the 2020 survey. Area offices across the country are opening to begin recruiting census takers, establish community partnerships, and inform every person of why they should participate. Additionally, this is the first time the census will be available online for every person in America—regardless of citizenship status—to complete. This survey is too important to overlook, primarily because it influences funding and lawmaking, according to Lloyd Doggett, U.S. Representative for Texas’ 35th District, who spoke at the grand opening of the San Antonio (64% Latino) Census Area Offices on Thursday. “Based on the census count, the federal ...
Politics is a word that carries many connotations — positive and negative. Still, it is too important to overlook or ignore. It influences the lives of every citizen and can make huge differences in the lives of underserved groups, including Latinos. In this wee's episode of the Salud Talks podcast, we discuss voting, political participation, and other aspects of civic engagement. Check out this discussion on the #SaludTalks Podcast, Episode Five, "Don't Boo, Vote"! WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion on civic engagement
GUESTS: Texas State Repetitive Ray Lopez, who serves the 125th congressional district, and Lourdes Castro Ramírez, former San Antonio Housing Chief and current President of the University Health System Foundation
WHERE: Available wherever fine ...
