U.S. Latinos are bearing an extraordinary burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Why is this? Health experts are trying to find an answer. They say the pandemic is worsening historical health and social inequities among Latinos and other people of color, affecting people of a certain age, and those who have diabetes, obesity, and cancer, as well as those who smoke. Now a study points to a new, but common, culprit: language barriers (and the healthcare system's failure to accommodate people who don't speak English).
Latinos Face Language Barriers During COVID-19 Pandemic
Language is a common barrier to health care. That's why Spanish translation is important in education, providing medical care, bullying prevention, healthcare access, and even podcasting. When it comes to ...
The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on people of color. Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, one fact has been proven correct time and again: Minority groups face a higher risk of infection and the many burdens associated. This fact has been proven in a recent study from Massachusetts General Hospital. "Radiologists from saw these disparities firsthand in April among patients admitted to the hospital with confirmed COVID-19 infection, and at one of the hospital's respiratory infection clinics in Chelsea, a city just north of Boston that is home to a predominantly Spanish-speaking Hispanic community," the researchers write. "A significant proportion of the patients who visited the Chelsea clinic had COVID-19, and the level of disease the ...
Good vision and eye health are vital to many aspects of health. Yet Latinos and other people of color have higher rates of vision loss, diabetic eye disease, and cataracts than their white peers, according to recent eye research. To celebrate Healthy Vision Month in July, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, to tweet about the latest on eye health disparities. We also will tweet about how to prevent vision loss and chronic diseases like diabetes, and how taking care of your health can also help create better vision! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat, “Healthy Vision Month: Eye Health Is My Health”
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, July 28, 2020
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: National Eye Institute ...
By Harmenia "Mimi" Frazier White
Breast Cancer Survivor My journey began in 2015 when I was diagnosed with stage 3b invasive breast cancer. For years prior to the diagnosis, I was misdiagnosed and told that I had fibrocystic breast disease. If I didn't finally want to know what was going on with my body, I wouldn't be here today. Once I was diagnosed, I went into chemotherapy for 5 months and got married right after I finished. In July 2016 I got a double mastectomy and lymph node removal next, followed by 3 months of radiation. The next year, I had to get a salpingo oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes). At this point, cancer had taken nearly everything from me. Luckily, it didn't take my spirit or my strong will to live. I fought hard to maintain this ...
For months now, health leaders have asked Americans to flatten the COVID-19 curve by behaving as if they have been exposed─stay home, stop hanging out with friends and family, avoid public places like gyms and bars, and wear a mask when around others. This individual behavior is needed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. But, at the same time, public health departments must do their part, too. They are responsible for “contact tracing”─contacting people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and those in close contact with them to give them critical information to slow disease spread: understand the possibility that they could spread the infection to others even if they themselves do not feel ill;
understand what they should do to monitor themselves for ...
Have you or someone close to you tested positive for COVID-19? You should have gotten a phone call from a local public health worker─a “case investigator” or “contact tracer”─who would give guidance on monitoring symptoms, quarantining to prevent spread, and more. But some cities don’t have enough people to make these important calls. Also, some people don’t answer or return phone calls from unknown numbers and may be uncomfortable answering questions. That is why, to reduce the spread of COVID-19, cities must invest in extensive contact tracing efforts and encourage the public to answer or return phone calls from the health department. “Case investigation and contact tracing, a core disease control measure employed by local and state health department ...
Both adults and children from Latino communities across the U.S. are testing positive for COVID-19 at much higher rates than most other race/ethnicities across several age groups, according to the latest data from the CDC. Latino kids currently make up 52.4% of all children who tested positive in the U.S. Latino adults also comprise the most new cases in the 18-64 age group. Why are Latino communities impacted disproportionately and how can we do a better job of communicating to reduce exposures and stop the spread? What do the experts say and what are you hearing in your community? Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, to discuss ways to communicate safety, dispel myths, and advocate for the safety of Latinos all people amid the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
When he was 16, Erine Gray's mother caught the rare brain disease encephalitis, causing permanent damage and memory loss. Gray moved his mother to Austin, Texas, a few years later to help care for her. He was just out of college with an economics degree, doing contract work. She was 57 years old at the time with early-onset dementia, and no income. He struggled helping her with daily tasks and making sure she took her medications. Gray had to find a sitter for her when he left the house. Eventually she required 24-hour care. "Nobody has a road map for these types of situations, I learned that very early on," Gray said in an interview with Salud America! "We didn’t know what services were available to help." That's why, now 28 years after his mother's diagnosis, Gray is ...
Many data suggests that older adults are the most vulnerable to the worst effects of the coronavirus outbreak. We still have a lot to understand about dementia and risk for COVID-19. Evidence seems to indicate dementia-related behaviors, increased age, and common health conditions may increase risk. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, to tweet about the latest research about dementia and coronavirus! WHAT: #SaludTues: How Coronavirus Impacts People with Dementia
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST (Noon-1 p.m. CST), Tuesday, June 30, 2020
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: @UsA2_Latinos, @AlzheimersLA, @Diversealz, @DiverseElders @WellmedCharitab @CaregiverSOS @PublicHealthMap @VocesenSalud
ADDITIONAL HASHTAGS: #COVID19, ...
