Amazon, one of the biggest American companies, made it clear that public transit is an essential component for choosing a site for their second headquarters. No matter what side of the "Amazon headquarters" debate you land, public transit is a pretty reasonable public good to request from a city because it plays a major role in health, equity, economic development, and sustainability. The thing is, public transit success depends not only on local investment to expand and improve service, but also commitment from federal partners. Yet, the federal government is proposing to eliminate the Capital Investment Grant program, which matches local funds to build new transit systems and upgrade existing systems. Transportation for America created a guidebook, Fight for Your Ride: An ...
"I didn’t know eating McDonald’s every day would hurt my triglyceride levels." Sadly, this is something Bertha Hidalgo heard when she talked to friends and family about heart disease. Simply put, many women had no idea. Not just about the details of Bertha's studies, such as a recent American Heart Association (AHA) report she helped author about disparities in treatment of heart disease and stroke. They didn’t even understand many of the basics about awareness, prevention, and treatment. “Their lack of certainty with some of these health topics means we’re not doing a good enough job as scientists and physicians to get the message out to the people who need it," Bertha told American Heart Association News. For example, do you know the answer to these ...
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month (#NCDHM)! What a great time to recognize the importance of kids' teeth. Yes, teeth. For kids, not properly caring for teeth can lead to cavities, decay, gum disease, and other oral health problems. It can force kids to miss school and fall behind in their academic development. More than that, it can eventually contribute to mental health issues, heart disease, certain cancers, and other major problems—all more prevalent among Latinos. The bottom line = Latino and all kid’s smiles matter! On Tuesday, Feb., 2018, let’s use #SaludTues to tweet about the issues, discuss solutions, and share resources on oral health for Latinos and all kids for National Children’s Dental Health Month! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: ...
When San Antonio native Shirley Gonzales earned a business degree years ago, she immediately went to work to find new locations to expand her family's local business, Bill's Pawn Shop. Gonzales studied the city's historic, largely Latino Westside. She loved the area so much, she moved her family there. But she found it hard to navigate the city’s complex procedures for opening and expanding businesses—an experience that eventually led her to run for, and earn, a seat on the San Antonio City Council. Now Gonzales is pushing to revitalize business on the Westside and helping residents find better, more affordable homes to live in, too. “There is so much about this community that is good,” Gonzales said. “It has great history, great people living here, strong ...
No parent should have to face the sheer agony of losing a baby. But it happened to Servando Salinas and Roxanne Alvarez. The San Antonio parents recently spent time at a relative's house. So Salinas and Alvarez had their eight-month-old daughter, Heaven, sleep in bed with them. When Salinas woke up, he noticed Heaven was not breathing. They called EMS, but the baby was pronounced dead at the scene, according to FOX-29. “I couldn't move. I couldn't stand. I was crying so much,” Salinas told Fox-29. Sadly, in two San Antonio zip codes—mostly Latino 78203 and 78220—Latina mothers have the highest infant death rates in the state, says a UT System study. That's why we are glad to see that San Antonio leaders, health advocates, parents, and groups are stepping up to ...
For the first time since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2012, the rate of uninsured Americans rose during the fourth quarter of 2017. The uninsured rate rose 1.3 percentage points from to 12.2% from its all-time low of 10.9% at the end of 2016, CNN Money reports according to a Gallup Poll. The increase reflects roughly 3.2 million new uninsured Americans in the U.S. The uninsured rate for both blacks (2.3 percentage points) and Latinos (2.2 percentage points). The ACA-based healthcare exchanges opened in 2014, the same year that Medicaid expansion began. One of the central tenets of the ACA was its individual mandate, which required all Americans to obtain health insurance or incur a tax penalty. Those circumstances were credited with helping reverse the ...
Did you know eight of every 1,000 Texas kids are victims of child abuse? Sadly, that number is even higher in certain parts of San Antonio. That includes San Antonio's District 5, a largely Latino district on the West Side where families struggle with domestic violence, pregnancy, and other trauma, according to Texas Public Radio. Shirley Gonzales, the City Council representative for District 5, wanted to help. Gonzales teamed with Victoria Salas of Family Service Association to find an innovative way—promotoras—to prevent trends that lead to child abuse.
The Need for Child Abuse Prevention
Across the U.S., 78% of Latino kids suffer at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), such as poverty, neglect, and child abuse, according to a recent Salud America! ...
After over 100 days of uncertainty since funding expired in September 2017... The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has finally received full funding! U.S. Lawmakers voted to fund CHIP for another six years as part of the spending bill which reopened the government on Jan. 22, 2018. The timing could not have been any better, as CHIP temporary funding measures were scheduled to run out, as well. The program has received support both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, according to Vox. However, the program became an unfortunate bargaining tool, which caused widespread concern from both healthcare professionals and families dependent upon CHIP. “This action ends months of anxiety and worry for the hard-working families who rely on CHIP for life-saving health ...
Eight out of every 10 Latinos with glaucoma do not even know they have it, according to the National Eye Institute. January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Good vision is an important part of overall eye health, but knowing the risks of eye diseases can help everyone, especially Latinos, take preventative measures. To bring awareness to this disease, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, to tweet about the latest on Latinos and glaucoma and how Latinos can improve or prevent glaucoma and other vision problems! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat "National Glaucoma Awareness Month"
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
Co-Host: American Academy of Ophthalmology ...
