Health disparities exist because unjust laws, policies, and practices have shaped the physical, economic, and social environment over many generations. This creates inequitable opportunities for education, jobs, housing, and transportation. Law and policy are essential tools to reduce health disparities, which particularly affect Latinos and other communities of color that face more poverty and less opportunity than communities with more political and economic power. Individuals and groups with political, financial, legal, and social power can ensure that laws, policies, institutions, and investments do not intentionally or unintentionally benefit some at the expense of others. Join #SaludTues at 1 p.m. ET on April 23, 2019, to tweet about legal and policy strategies that ...
Speed—not speeding—is the most critical factor in the severity of a crash. However, due to state preemption of local authority, many cities can’t lower speed limits without lengthy state studies and procedures. Some cities, though, are still pushing to drop speeds, and uplift safety.
Lower Speed Limits, Safer Roads
Traffic crashes are one of the leading causes of preventable death in the U.S. In 2017, speeding accounted for more than one fourth of all traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Check out this interactive map of over 59,000 speeding fatalities between 2010 and 2015, thanks to the National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) and the Vision Zero Network. A 5 mph increase in the maximum speed limit was ...
Last month, a massive cloud of black smoke covered Houston (44.5% Latino), subjecting its residents to noxious fumes and harmful pollution exposure. The fire, which burned for three days, began after an explosion at the petrochemical storage facility Intercontinental Terminals Co. While air quality was determined to be moderately safe by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in the days following the explosion, Houstonians could face long-term impacts from the chemicals released into the atmosphere. "I've seen ash fall out — black pieces of ash," Jorge Guerra, who lives three miles from the site, told CBS News. “I’ve seen it on my cars, I've seen it on the front porch on the sidewalk. Does that scare you? It does, it does. What scares me more is what we don't ...
Many senior citizens live on fixed incomes. Unfortunately, programs such as Social Security aren’t always enough to pay for living expenses — including housing. U.S. housing costs are at its least affordable in 10 years. The rising price and the lack of affordable options strain the well-being of the seniors, especially Latinos.
The Issue of Housing Affordability for Seniors Many seniors are not as financially prepared for retirement as they would like. Their income may be reduced, and their lifestyle costs may increase as well. The house where they raised their kids may no longer fit their needs or their budget.
An increase in home prices could provide opportunities to relocate for retirement.
In fact, housing is often a terrible investment if not planned wisely. ...
Chronic kidney disease is a crisis in the U.S. — yet, the intersection of transportation and healthcare is failing. Public transportation agencies, healthcare providers, and patients are concerned about the rising demand, cost of providing dialysis trips for patients with the illness. Of the forms of dialysis transportation, ambulance rides only make up 5% of trips in the US. However, they account for half of the $3 billion spent annually on dialysis transportation, according to a 2013 study in the Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research. Costs could be reduced by one-third if ambulance use dropped to 1% of trips.
Gathering Needed Data
Before policy could change, all parties involved needed to know the lay of the land. In 2016, researchers with Cooperative ...
Florida leads the nation in the number of pedestrians killed while walking on the street. The state (25.6% Latino) had the highest Pedestrian Danger Index numbers, according to the latest Dangerous by Design report from Smart Growth America. In response, Grover Robinson, the mayor of Pensacola, announced that the city created a new staff position to increase the safety of city roads by advancing Complete Streets. This is another step in the city’s plans to make pedestrian safety a priority, following the Florida Department of Transportation updating their 30-year old Complete Streets policy in 2014. “The problem we have is that we’ve done such a good job at building streets, and building them for cars, and building them for cars to go fairly fast that they aren’t ...
In an effort to promote customer wellness and company transiency, Target retailers will add “clean” labeling to all products without commonly known harmful chemicals. This is another phase of the corporation’s “chemical goals,” or its plan to reduce customer exposure to hazardous substances in products on the shelves. Consumers strongly desire for transparency in their merchandise, said Christina Hennington, Target’s senior vice president and general merchandise manager of essentials, beauty, hardlines, and services. “Our guests are increasingly interested in better-for-you products, and by introducing Target Clean, we’re able to help them identify products that meet their needs and save time,” Hennington said in a statement. Latinos, who face chemical ...
Did you know housing can influence your health? Inside our homes, we need an environment free of lead, mold, smoke, and other toxins. Outside our homes, we need access to quality medical care, transit, schools, jobs, and grocery stores. But certain communities lack access to these types of home environments. Others struggle to afford a home or steady housing. This undermines their opportunities for a healthy life. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, to share innovative strategies to improve access to safe, secure, affordable housing for Latino and all communities: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Strong Foundations: Why Housing Matters for Our Health”
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, April 16, 2019
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag ...
Last month, the FDA and health experts met to review renewed safety concerns about long-term side effects─even cancer─caused by breast augmentation. Women across the U.S. have spoken up about health complications that they believe were caused by their breast implants. Health professionals, too, are concerned about the growing number of people affected. Latinas get implants more than any other minority group. Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research in Washington, D.C., analyzed past breast augmentation studies and spoke at the FDA’s conference on her findings. “Implants are not so innocent as presented,” Dr. Howard Amital, an Israeli rheumatologist who has studied this issue, told the New York Times. “There is a reason for concern. There ...
