VIDEO: Latinos, Others Honored for Overcoming Obstacles to Tackle Community Health Problems



Watch this new video that tells the heartwarming stories of the 10 men and women who were recently honored as Community Health Leaders by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for overcoming daunting odds to improve the health and quality of life for those in disadvantaged or underserved communities across the country. Two Latinos are among the awardees. At the video's 6:32 mark, listen to how Latino father Richard Nares was recognized for developing a successful model to support and transport low-income families with children battling cancer to medical visits. Or read more about him here. At the video's 7:23 mark, listen to how Dr. Gabriel Rincón was recognized for launching Mixteca Organization, Inc., which provides health and education programs to thousands of Latino New Yorkers ...

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Latino Father Helps Pediatric Cancer Patients and Their Families Travel to Chemotherapy Appointments



Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series that will highlight the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s work in Latino communities across the country. When his only child Emilio died of cancer shortly before his sixth birthday, Richard Nares found his world was shattered. As he and his wife tried to put their lives back together, Nares realized his priorities had changed. “All I wanted to do was help other families who were going through what we went through,” said Nares, who was an artist and picture framer. Putting his family’s tragedy and hard-earned knowledge to use, Nares and his wife Diane established the Emilio Nares Foundation to transport underprivileged families whose children are battling cancer to their medical visits at Rady Children’s Hospital ...

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News: Latino Health Research, Stories & More



Find the latest in Latino health—from fighting Latina breast cancer to helping Latinos pursue doctoral degrees—in the new E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. The E-newsletter has these stories: Story and Video: Giving Latinas a Chance vs. Breast Cancer (Pg 1) Story: How a Typewriter Helped a Latina Launch a Career in Health Promotion (Pg 2) Story and Video: Depression after Cancer Keeps Latinas from Follow-Up Care (Pg 3) Story: Apply by 3/1/12 for Éxito Program to Get Help Pursuing a Doctoral Degree (Pg 5) Story: San Antonio Schools Get Salad Bars (Pg 6) Story and Video: Latino Man Works to Interrupt Street Violence (Pg 8 ) The E-newsletter is jam-packed ...

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VIDEO: Latina TV Star Stands Up to Cancer



Latina TV star Ana Maria Polo, host of the popular Telemundo show Caso Cerrado, will appear in a new public service announcement (PSA) for Stand Up to Cancer, bringing her signature courtroom resolve to the fight against cancer. Polo, a breast cancer survivor herself, joins a long list of national and international celebrity supporters of the Stand Up to Cancer initiative, which raises awareness and funds for collaborative cancer research. Watch the video here or ...

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New Komen Initiative Aims to Increase Latina Breast Cancer Screening



Did you know that breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality among U.S. Latinas? Alarmingly, Hispanic women are 20 percent more likely to die from breast cancer when compared to non-Hispanic white women when diagnosed at a similar age and stage. In response, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is launching Lazos que Perduran, a national, culturally relevant, educational initiative that empowers Latinas with the knowledge and resources to take action. Targeting young adults, the Lazos initiative will promote our breast self awareness messages (know your risk, get screened, know what is normal for you and make healthy lifestyle choices) and motivate them to influence their loved ones to do the same. Telenovela actress Angelica Maria, and her daughter, ...

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San Antonio Researcher, YMCA Partner to Encourage Healthy Living, Cancer Prevention



The Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) recently awarded $265,000 to a researcher from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio who is working with the YMCA of Greater San Antonio to encourage healthy living and cancer prevention. Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina, professor in the Health Science Center’s Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR), is co-directing “Y Living,” a lifestyle program for cancer prevention and risk reduction. “This collaborative project uses a community-based, family-focused approach. We’ll work with families to promote physical activity, a balanced diet and increased awareness of the impact of a healthy lifestyle on cancer risk reduction,” Dr. Parra-Medina said. “We’ll provide health education, ...

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Check Out the Latest in Latino Fitness, Cancer Survival, Population Growth and More



Check out the latest in health disparities—from San Antonio's push to curb Latino childhood obesity to all aspects of the Latino population boom—in the latest E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. View the IHPR E-newsletter to see: Story: “BFF” Helps Latina Girl Scouts Get Physically Active (Pg 1) Story: Targeting Moms, Daughters to Encourage Use of HPV Vaccine on Border (Pg 3) Story and Video: Latest in Latino Cancer Survivorship (Pg 5) Story: San Antonio’s Big Push to Thwart Latino Child Obesity (Pg 6) Story: Latino Population Boom: What Does it Mean? (Pg 7) Find much more on local and national health disparities-related news, funding, resources and events by ...

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Agency: FDA Ban on Menthol Cigarettes Would Protect Latinos’ Lives



An FDA panel recently released a report that menthol cigarettes are harmful and that their removal "from the marketplace would benefit public health in the United States," the Los Angeles Times reports. Menthol is the flavoring used in about 30% of U.S. cigarettes. The National Latino Tobacco Control Network (NLTCN) welcomes this recommendation to the FDA and urges the FDA to ban the use of menthol in cigarettes and other tobacco products. By withdrawing this product from the market, the FDA would be protecting the lives of people of color, NLTCN argues. More than 82% of the African American smokers use mentholated cigarettes, as well as 45% of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, 35% of multiracial populations, 37% Latino women, and 32% of Asian Americans. "For our ...

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Latino Health News, Stories, Funding & Events



Latinos, check out the latest on Latino health news and stories in the Spring 2010 E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. The newsletter features: S.A. Teens’ Artistic Photos Illustrate Tobacco Problems UTHSCSA Frontera de Salud Med Students Aid Valley Residents WATCH our PSAs on Latino Cancer, HPV Research funding opportunties Health disparities events Health disparities resources For this and much more, check out our new ...

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