The San Antonio COVID-19 Community Response & Equity Coalition (CREC) is hosting a Virtual Community Forum on Sunday, June 6, 2021, to discuss the impact of the pandemic on residents and families in the city and how to respond. The forum will seek local feedback on nine different policy priorities generated by a subgroup of the coalition, the Policy and Advocacy Workgroup. Then the group will finalize the policy priorities and share with the city of San Antonio (63% Latino). Click here to register for the CREC forum!
What is the San Antonio CREC?
In response to the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on San Antonio, and Latinos in particular, several organizations have come together to form the Community Response & Equity Coalition (CREC). The coalition ...
We know that health is influenced by our families, environments, communities, and much more. Health inequities occur when barriers prevent some groups from receiving access to healthcare and other resources that positively impact health. Community power is an emerging method for marginalized communities to enact systemic changes that address social and health inequities.
What is Community Power?
Community power is people’s ability to create systemic change through a mutual agenda to achieve a larger goal. “Building power is particularly critical for communities working hard to thrive despite generations of systemic challenges, including low-income and communities of color being excluded from decision-making on the policies and practices that impact their health and ...
Data continue to show that systemic inequities, from discrimination to unstable housing to a lack of healthcare access, lead to worse health outcomes for Latinos. How can we promote system and policy change to address inequities? Our Salud America! #SaludTues Tweetchats, a weekly hour-long discussion series on Twitter about Latino health equity issues, are an emerging way to engage people in learning and advocacy for change, according to our new study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR). "The study proves that planned, culturally relevant tweetchats like #SaludTues can be a powerful tool for public health practitioners and advocates to engage audiences on Twitter around health issues, advocacy, and policy solutions for Latino health equity," said Dr. Amelie G. ...
We’re seeking a top-notch program coordinator to join our team at Salud America!, our national Latino health equity organization based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio. The position will provide day-to-day oversight and coordination of Salud America! and its program goals, activities, deliverables, budget planning, internal and external meetings, partnerships, reporting requirements, and development/sustainability. The program coordination also will contribute to program communication, outreach, evaluation, surveys, and technical assistance for on-the-ground advocates and partners for Salud America! and other IHPR programs and grants. Apply Now!
Details for the Program Coordinator Position
A bachelor’s degree and five years of ...
Wendy Mateo-Pascual is passionate about helping Latino immigrants. She understands how difficult it is to move to a new country and adapt to the culture, because she herself is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Over the last two decades, Wendy Mateo-Pascual has worked in the Charlotte, N.C., area by leading several organizations and committees all with the goal of promoting equity and strengthening the Latino voice in her community. In October 2020, Mateo-Pascual was awarded the Dogwood Award, a prestigious award presented by North Carolina’s Attorney General to North Carolinians who are “dedicated to keeping people safe, healthy, and happy in their communities.” Much of Mateo-Pascual’s work centers around getting Latinos involved in civics and politics. Even ...
Amid protests for racial justice and an end to police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd and others, a rising number of U.S. local leaders are creating resolutions to declare racism a public health crisis. They also are committing to specific actions as a first step toward meaningful change. Update 4/9/21: San Antonio, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh are among 210 cities, counties, state legislatures, and other governmental leaders that have declared racism a public health crisis, as of April 9, 2021, according to Michigan cartographer Alex B. Hill on Twitter. Update 4/15/21: CDC has joined many agencies in calling racism a "serious threat" to public health, according to NBC News. “It's a little thing to declare racism to be a public health crisis, but it's a ...
Though Latinos are the largest non-white demographic in the U.S., our federal government is disproportionally white. In early 2020, less than 10% of the U.S. House of Representatives were Latino, despite Latinos making up 18.5% of the population. Only 4 of 50 U.S. senators were Latino. But that’s starting to change. In the November 2020 election, voters elected more Latinos to Congress, both Republicans and Democrats. Although Latino representation in Congress still needs improvement, the election of these representatives signifies progress.
Which Latinos Were Elected?
Voters elected Latinos to both chambers of Congress. New Mexicans elected Democrat Ben Ray Luján to the Senate, making him the 5th Latino senator. He will join senators Bob Menendez (D-New ...
As Latinos became the largest racial/ethnic minority in the U.S., researchers expected them to have a larger turnout in the 2020 Election compared to previous years. They were right — 20.6 million Latinos voted this year, a 63% increase from the last presidential election. While Latino voter turnout usually ends up being less than half of eligible voters, 64% of eligible Latinos turned out to vote. The majority of Latinos voted for Joe Biden, but a growing number of Latinos voted for Donald Trump, surprising many Democrats and media outlets. As we reflect on the 2020 Election, we find several takeaways about the Latino voting bloc: Latino voters vary in gender and age, the number of Latino voters increases each election, and the diversity within the Latino community ...
Since the start of coronavirus’ spread throughout the country, Latinos have lacked the resources to battle against widespread rates of infection, death. Soon, that community will have a voice on President-Elect Joe Biden’s recently announced COVID-19 Taskforce, which includes two Latinos — Dr. Luciana Borio, former assistant FDA commissioner, and Dr. Robert Rodriguez, a professor of emergency medicine at UCSF School of Medicine. This kind of representation is critical to combat the horrific experiences Latinos and other people of color have experienced during this epidemic, especially as winter arrives, said Dr. Leana Wen, the former Baltimore health commissioner. “[Biden’s] work needs to begin right now. He needs to begin communicating the urgency of actions with the ...
