How Paid Family Leave Can Solve Health Inequities


paid family leave infographic by ChangeLab

Latinas and all women have increased their ranks in the workforce by 21.4% in the past 25 years, which is good for the economy. But there's a big downside. The United States still lags well behind other “advanced economies” in guaranteeing workers paid family leave, according to the Center for American Progress. “[In 63.9% of American families,] a mother was the breadwinner—bringing home as much or more than her husband or a single working mother—or a co-breadwinner, bringing home at least a quarter of the family’s earnings,” the Center reported. To address inequties that rise from a lack of paid family leave, ChangeLab Solutions has developed materials to cover its importance for Latino and all families. What is 'Paid Family Leave'? The new ChangeLab materials ...

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Report: How to Promote Health Equity for Latinos


latino family happy

Imagine a world where every person has the opportunity to attain full health potential—with no disadvantages due to race, money, etc. That is health equity. Unfortunately, Latinos and other people of color often struggle with health inequity as a result of poverty, structural racism, and discrimination. This causes gaps in how long Latinos live and how they struggle with disease and health, compared to their peers, according to the new Communities in Action: Pathways to Health report from thew National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The new report does have some good news: Communities have agency to promote health equity. However, community-based solutions are necessary but not sufficient. Supportive public and private policies at all levels and ...

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Report: Latinos Makes Gains in Income, But Poverty Still a Problem



Many Latino families suffer a big lack of access to support for economic and educational success, and quality healthcare. This makes it harder for Latino kids to achieve academically, socially, and physically. However, hope appears to be on the horizon for Latino and all families, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. For the second year in a row, Americans made “solid” financial gains in 2016 as the median household income rose across the country. Also shown as positive signs were the poverty numbers fell, and the rate people without health insurance also fell, according to USA Today. U.S. Economy on the Rebound The median U.S. household income climbed 3.2% to $59,039, which followed growth of 5.2% in 2015; this is the largest on records dating to 1968. The combined increase ...

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Heavily Latino City among Worst in U.S. with Income Inequality



The term “income inequality” is one that has gained a great deal of attention in recent years. Referring to the “extent” in which income is distributed in an uneven manner in a population. In the U.S., according to the Institute for Policy Studies, the gap between the rich, poor, and everyone else has grown markedly in the past 30 years. The Economic Innovation Group (EIG), a a bipartisan public policy organization created to advancing solutions that empower entrepreneurs and investors to forge a more dynamic economy in the U.S., recently completed a study that determined that San Antonio, Texas (64.34% Latino population), has one of the worst income inequalities in the country. In San Antonio, the gap between the wealthiest zip code in the city and the poorest is among ...

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10% of NYC Public School Students Were Homeless in 2016



During the 2016-17 school year, the number of homeless students in the New York City public school system rose again for the second year in a row. The increase, according to The New York Times, put the overall student population at a shocking milestone: one in every 10 public school students was homeless during the year. These numbers translate into 111,500 students in New York City (28.92% Latino population) that were homeless the last academic year. This was a 6% increase over the 2015-2016 school year. Across New York state, 148,000 students overall were homeless which is 5% of the state’s public school population. “After rising steadily for about five years, the number of homeless students reported to the state shot up in the 2015-16 school year, reaching nearly 100,000 ...

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California to Invest Billions in New Affordable Housing



California state legislators recently approved three bills to boost the supply of local affordable housing. Senate Bills 2, 3, and 35 expect to raise billions to pay to build thousands of new homes for the state’s low-income residents. The bills also also aim to ease local regulations on home-building to help middle-class Californians who are now overwhelmed by costs. “The poverty rate in California, everyone talks about it,” said state Sen. Toni Atkins, author of Senate Bill 2 in an interview with The Los Angeles Times. “Look at everything we do. For child care, for education, for minimum wage, for health care. All those things are significant. And because of housing costs, it negates all those good things.” Action for Affordable Housing More than most states, ...

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SF to Consider Universal Childcare for Residents



$11,000 is a lot of money. You can get a pretty decent car. You can buy a year's worth of groceries to feed a family of four. You could even get 11 of the new iPhone X. Or you can pay a year of childcare for one child. With the average cost of center-based daycare at $11,666 a year, many low-income Latino families struggle to afford childcare. Or it comes at the expense of healthy food or preventive medical care. That's why city leaders in San Francisco (15.3% Latino) are exploring how to provide affordable universal childcare to residents to ease parents' financial burdens. District 6 City Supervisor Jane Kim plans to introduce the measure on the November 2018 ballot. “If we truly believe that families are the backbone of our city, then we all have to do what we can to ...

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New Tool Focuses Equity Lens on Local Policies for Latinos



Hey, city leader... Are your policies and programs equitable for Latinos, Blacks, and other minorities? Fortunately, a new tool helps local governments add an "equity lens" to involve the community and create policies and programs that account for racial/ethnic minorities. The tool, Racial Equity: Getting to Results from the Government Alliance on Race and Equality, enhances the Results-Based Accountability (RBA) methodology to empower policymakers to make “good decisions and advance racial equity.” “Currently across the country, regardless of region, racial inequities exist across every indicator for success—including health, criminal justice, education, jobs, housing, and beyond,” according to the new tool. “We know these inequities are incongruent with our ...

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Celebrating a Culture of Health for Latinos


youth sports equity soccer player girl

Two majority-Latino communities are among the eight winners of this year's Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize. Chelsea, MA (62% Latino) and San Pablo, CA (55% Latino) were chosen from 200 applicants along with Algoma, WI, Allen County, KS, Garrett County, MD, Richmond VA, Vicksburg, MS, the Seneca Nation of Indians in Western New York. These communities made strong efforts to ensure their residents have the opportunity to live healthier lives. Winning communities get a $25,000 prize and will have their inspiring stories shared by RWJF. “For the past five years, RWJF Culture of Health Prize communities have inspired hope across the country,” said Dr. Richard Besser, RWJF President and CEO in a news release. “We welcome these eight new prize ...

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