Mistreatment based on background and unfair treatment are among Latinos’ biggest challenges to healthcare. Driven by years of mistreatment, Latinos and other vulnerable groups face challenges in care and mistrust of the healthcare system. This prompts reluctance to receive life-saving care or health screenings. Putting off care can result in a delayed diagnosis and prolonged and more expensive medical treatment for chronic diseases, such as cancer, leading to worse health outcomes. But how widespread is mistreatment in healthcare? Doctors are more likely to use negative language when referencing Black and Latino patients in medical records, according to a new study in JMIR Medical Informatics. Let’s unpack the study and the meaning behind the results. ...
Latinas account for 17% of all adult women in the U.S. today. Similarly, their population is the largest numeric increase of any major women vulnerable group, growing to 5.6 million from 2010 to 2022. A recent report from the Pew Research Center shows that half of Latinas say the situation in relation to education, employment, and earnings of Latina women in the United States is better now than it was 10 years ago, and a similar share say the situation will improve in the next 10 years. “Still, 39% of Latinas say that the situation has stayed the same, and 34% say it will not change in the next 10 years,” according to the report. Let’s dive deeper into the data and what it means for Latinas moving forward.
Latinas and Education Attainment
The report highlights that ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, shares insights on health on a new episode of the CDC's Listen Up! podcast series for health communicators, by health communicators. Her episode is "Not a Monolith: Empowering Latino Health." She also shares the importance of Salud America! Salud Heroes, how to take action to improve the non-medical drivers of health, and how to build trust and wellbeing within communities. Listen to Ramirez's episode. See the full Listen Up! podcast series, hosted by Dr. Betsy Mitchell in CDC’s Office of Communications. "It's family, faith, and language that are key, important ... issues to keep in mind [when sharing health messages to empower people]," Ramirez said on her episode.
Dr. Ramirez & Her Health ...
After decades of being overlooked, a spike of positive representation of populations, such as Latinos, has swept into Hollywood and mainstream media.
Latino pioneers like José Ferrer, Edward James Olmos, and Rita Moreno overcame adversity to play defining roles in an industry dominated by White actors, paving the way for future Latino actors and Latino-led projects to break from the mold.
This success has led to a new wave of notable Latino standouts and projects.
America Ferrera, a U.S.-born Latina of Honduran heritage, nabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Barbie (2023). Pedro Pascal, born in Chile, delighted audiences in the titular role of The Mandalorian before taking the lead in HBO’s TV adaptation of video game series The Last of Us.
Films such as ...
The total economic output, or gross domestic product (GDP), for Latinos in the United States has grown from $1.7 trillion in 2010 to $3.2 trillion in 2021, according to the Latino Donor Collaborative’s 2023 U.S. Latino GDP Report. Let’s dive deeper into why and how Latinos are driving the U.S. economy.
The Latino GDP
The U.S. Latino GDP is $3.2 trillion. That makes it the is the fifth-largest economy in the world embedded inside the United States, according to 2023 U.S. Latino GPD Report. “U.S. Latinos are not a niche market, nor small, nor as sometimes described as a market of the future,” according to the report. “It is already the third fastest growing economy on the planet, and may soon rival China’s growth rates.”
Growth of the Latino ...
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 ...
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 ...
Dr. Denice Cora-Bramble loves children. From an early age, she knew that she wanted to be a pediatrician. Her professional child-focused journey has culminated a long and successful career at Children’s National Hospital where she currently serves. “I’ve always been intrigued by children,” Dr. Cora-Bramble said with a contagious smile. "They're interesting little people.” Growing up in Puerto Rico, Dr. Cora-Bramble was introduced to medicine as a child. Her aunt, who she admired greatly, was an OBGYN and one of just five females in her medical school cohort. “She was also a mother of five,” Dr. Cora-Bramble said. “I admired how she managed being a mother and being a physician; she was a great inspiration for me from the time I was very young.” Dr. ...
Gabriela Mistral, born as Lucila Godoy Alcayaga in Chile, was the first Latina author to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945. Her poems explore issues of spirituality, heartbreak, death, and childhood. But beyond her verse and prose, Mistral also changed lives in Latin America and beyond through advocacy, education, and diplomacy. “She tried to speak for [people] through her poetry, her many newspaper articles, her letters, and her talks and actions as Chilean representative in international organizations,” according to the Poetry Foundation. “Above all, she was concerned about the future of Latin America and its peoples and [lifestyles], particularly those of the native groups.”
Gabriela Mistral – Her Early Life
Born in 1889, Mistral grew up in a ...
