4 Ways to Uplift Latinos to the Forefront of Health Care, Public Health, Society


latina mom and daughter face masks covid uplift latinos

Latinos are the largest racial/ethnic minority at 18.5% of the U.S. population. Yet they face considerable health inequities — from discrimination to a lack of access to health care, transportation, affordable housing, healthy food, and more. This contributes to a high burden of diabetes, obesity, and disease for Latinos. In response, we need more understanding of the root causes of health inequities, diversity in the health and research fields, better education, and greater societal presence for Latinos, according to a new article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, and Drs. Rita Lepe and Francisco Ciagarroa of the Transplant Center at UT Health San Antonio. "The changing ...

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Study: Less Money is Spent on Latino Healthcare


Study: Less Money is Spent on Latino Healthcare

Healthcare spending is disproportionately skewed toward white people, with less money spent on Latino patients, according to new research from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and others. “This study found statistically significant differences in estimated healthcare spending across six race/ethnicity groups, with differences present for total spending, age-standardized spending, spending by type of care, and health-condition-specific spending per notified case,” according to the study. The disparity has significant implications for policies needed for equity in healthcare spending. “Despite making up 18.5% of the U.S. population, only 11% of healthcare spending goes toward Latinos. We can address this disparity by examining the ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 9/7: How to Improve Health Equity for Hispanic Heritage Month


#SaludTues Tweetchat 9/7: How to Improve Health Equity for Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time where we can honor the history, culture, and diversity of the Latino community. Unfortunately, many Latinos in the U.S. still face many health inequities, including limited access to healthcare, poor nutrition and physical activity, low COVID-19 vaccination rates, and more. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, to discuss how we can improve health equity for Latinos while celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: How to Improve Health Equity for Hispanic Heritage Month TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, September 7, 2021 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS:  Public Health Maps (@PublicHealthMap); Latinx Voces en Salud Campaign (@VocesenSalud); ...

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How This Latino Student Group Campaigned to Remove Discriminatory School Policing


How This Latino Student Group Campaigned to Remove Discriminatory School Policing

Thanks to the efforts from the student-led community organization Gente Organizada, Pomona Unified School District will no longer allow police patrols to monitor campuses. The decision comes after years of campaigning against discriminatory practices by school police, which was amplified after the racial justice protests of 2020. Removing school police means Latino youth are safer from discrimination in school, as Pomona (71% Latino), a city in Los Angeles County, is home to many Latino and immigrant families. “This is a milestone that has been met,” said Caroline Lucas, a Pomona youth organizer, according to Los Angeles Times. “For me, it means that leaders can experiment with what transformative activists have been trying to do.” A Campaign Sparked by an Act of ...

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Health Care Workers: Find If You Have Implicit Bias & What to Do Next!


healthcare provider team dealing with implicit bias 2

Doctors have implicit, subconscious preferences for white patients over those of color, studies show. This is implicit bias. These biases — stereotypes that affect our understanding and decisions about others beyond our conscious control — lead to discrimination and health disparities. Fortunately, implicit bias can be “rewired” for compassion for patients of color. Download the free Salud America! Action Pack “Health Care Workers and Researchers: Find If You Have Implicit Bias and What to Do Next.” "This Action Pack will help you see if you have implicit bias, learn from others who have overcome their own implicit bias, and encourage colleagues to learn about implicit bias, too," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Salud America! Latino health equity ...

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Giselle Rincon: A Venezuelan Immigrant Sending Help to her Home Country


Giselle Rincon: A Venezuelan Immigrant Sending Help to her Home Country

When Giselle Rincon decided to start a nonprofit to help immigrants and offer humanitarian aid to her home country, she had no idea where to start with her background in teaching. “None of us have a nonprofit background, no clue how to begin a nonprofit, how to manage it. We have been learning every day, how to do it and talking to people, asking for consultants, asking for advice,” Rincon said. In 2014, Rincon started Venezuela’s Voice in Oregon along with a group of Venezuelan immigrants in the Portland, Oregon area. She and her team of eight team members work entirely pro-bono and volunteer their time outside of their full-time jobs. Through connecting with other nonprofit leaders and members in the Latino community, Rincon has taught herself how to run her growing ...

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A New Normal: Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive


A New Normal: Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive

As America reopens cautiously and as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, the National Urban League is exploring what a “new normal” really means. Why? Because the pandemic worsened deep-rooted inequities and pre-existing health disparities, causing Black, Latino, and other people of color to suffer high burdens of sickness and death. So they reached out to public health professionals, civil rights leaders, elected officials, and community advocates to hear their visions for a new normal for their 45th annual State of Black America® report on racial equity in America. The new report contains 23 essays urging a new normal that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We are excited to announce that Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San ...

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Younger Latinos More Likely to Discuss Racism & Discrimination


Younger Latinos More Likely to Discuss Racism & Discrimination

Younger generations of Latinos are more likely than their immigrant parents to talk about issues like racism and discrimination, particularly when it comes to discrimination against Black people. “Most of our societies are fundamentally racist against darker people,” said political science professor Eduardo Gamarra, according to Carmen Sesin and Cora Cervante of NBC Latino. Generation Z, typically defined as those born between 1997 and 2015, may be more willing to confront their immigrant parents about racism because they are more racially diverse than past generations and active in social justice movements. Let’s examine how Latino youth compare to older generations, some characteristics of Generation Z, and the implications for how Latinos can tackle discrimination and ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 8/3: Breaking Down Systemic Injustices in Healthcare


Latina nurse doctor hospital worker for health equity figh healthcare injustices

A widening socioeconomic gap, racism, and discrimination contribute to inequitable distribution of healthcare and mental and physical health disparities among Latinos and other people of color. This is especially true amid COVID-19. How can we change this? Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, to discuss emerging strategies to promote a cohesive culture for health equity is one where everyone works individually and as a group to ensure that each person has a fair, just opportunity for health and wealth! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Breaking Down Systemic Injustices in Healthcare TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS:  The Praxis Project (@Praxis_Project); ...

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