The month of October is Health Literacy Month, making it a great time to explore equitable health resources for Latinos and all people. Health Literacy Month was founded by Helen Osborne, M.Ed, OTR/L in 1999. Today, Helen works to helps professionals communicate health information in ways that patients and the public can understand. “By collectively working to improve health literacy, we’ll create a more equitable world where everyone can access high-quality care and achieve positive health outcomes,” according to the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). Let’s dig deeper into the importance of Health Literacy Month and how you can take action for health literacy.
What is Health Literacy?
Health literacy can be defined in two ways, personal and organizational ...
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and related grains. It gives dough its stretch and helps baked goods rise. Many common foods contain gluten, including bread, beer, pasta, and cereal. So, why is “gluten-free” become so popular these days? For millions of people, gluten is a medical issue. Celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and wheat allergies require strict gluten-free diets. “When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine,” according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. In addition, gluten sensitivity causes symptoms when gluten is eaten. However, it doesn’t cause the antibodies and intestinal damage seen in celiac disease. Additionally, ...
September is recognized as National Healthy Aging Month. With this in mind, the National Eye Institute (NEI) has provided six important resources to spread awareness and educate the community about eye health and aging. “Getting older doesn’t have to mean losing your vision. While some vision changes are a normal part of getting older, vision loss related to eye diseases and conditions can be prevented,” according to the National Eye Institute. Let’s dive deeper into these six resources. 1. Browse and Share Articles and Fact Sheets on Eye Health and Aging NEI’s National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) offers several articles and fact sheets related to eye diseases and conditions. Topics include managing medications, vision changes, glaucoma, and ...
Infection control can protect frontline workers, patients, and colleagues from the spread of germs in healthcare settings. However, challenges like a foreign language gap can hinder healthcare workers from effectively applying infection control measures. With this in mind, Salud America! and the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) have translated and created the English-to-Spanish Medical Terminology Fact Sheet as part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Project Firstline program. This English-to-Spanish Medical Terminology Fact Sheet aims to enhance communication of common medical terms related to infection control to improve provider-patient interactions, patient safety and understanding in healthcare settings. Download the fact ...
July is recognized as Sarcoma Awareness Month, which encourages communities to raise awareness and show support for those affected by sarcoma. Let’s explore resources for you and your loved ones to support!
What is Sarcoma?
Approximately 17,000 people are diagnosed with sarcoma each year in the United States. Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that “begins in bone or in the soft tissues of the body, including cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, fibrous tissue, or other connective or supportive tissue,” according to National Cancer Institute. With over 100 different subtypes, sarcomas are categorized as soft tissue or bone sarcomas, depending on where they develop in the body. Most sarcomas are within the limbs because this is where most of the body’s connective ...
Whether you’re looking for a recipe, catching up with the latest trends, or staying up with the news, social media plays a large role in people’s daily lives. In fact, people spend an average of 2 hours and 21 minutes a day on social media. While many people rely heavily on social media to get information, facts, and news, the quality of information can also be questionable. With this in mind, the Public Health Communication Collaborative (PHCC) created a guide on Evaluating Credibility on Social Media. Let’s dive deeper into this tool and find out how it can help your community!
Check Credibility of Health Information on Social Media with SIFT
When considering health information on social media, PHCC encourages people to review the information using the acronym ...
The new San Antonio Firefighters Cancer Prevention Program aims to better understand and reduce the cancer burden among local firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, thanks to the partnership of the San Antonio Fire Department, UT Health San Antonio, and Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative at the University of Miami. The program, launched in April 2025, is gaining media coverage: Firefighter with cancer praises new research partnerships between SAFD and cancer center, KSAT-12 TV
New UT Health program aims to prevent cancer in San Antonio firefighters, Texas Public Radio
UT Health Science Center leading research into cancer rates among firefighters, Spectrum News
Héroes sin capa y entre llamas: la lucha silenciosa de los bomberos, KVDA-TV ...
Cancer is a big concern for firefighters in San Antonio. Firefighting is classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Occupational cancer has become the leading cause of death among firefighters. Studies have shown that firefighters face a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer compared to the general U.S. population. Within the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD), more than 70 firefighters have been diagnosed with cancer in the past 10 years, including leukemia to multiple myeloma and cancers of the brain, thyroid, colon, prostate, and testicles. Many cases also go unreported. To help reduce the cancer risk among firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, SAFD, UT Health ...
Primary care practices that employ nurse practitioners (NPs) are more likely to serve low-income communities than practices with no NPs on staff, according to researchers from the Columbia University School of Nursing. Dr. Monica O’Reilly-Jacob, assistant professor and study leader, along with her colleagues looked at 79,743 primary care practices across the United States. Of these practices, 53.4% employed NPs in 2023, a large jump from 21% in 2012. Let’s go beyond the surface of these results and explore how it impacts others.
The Importance of Nurse Practitioners (NPs)
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that as of May 2023, 280,140 organizations employed nurse practitioners (NPs) nationally. According to the researchers, practices with NPs were more likely ...
