The number of Latino doctors declined 22% over the past 30 years, while the Latino population rose 243% in the same span, according to a new study. The study, from UCLA’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, used Census data to examine the Latino physician workforce from 1980 and 2010. Latino doctors declined from 135 to 105 per 100,000 Latinos from 1980 to 2010, a 22% drop. White doctors increased from 211 to 315 per 100,000 whites in the same period, a 49% rise. Study leaders said the Latino doctoral shortage negatively affects patients. “There is a shortage of health care professionals that, at minimum, have the language skills to communicate effectively with patients, provide quality care and avoid harmful outcomes for a growing majority of patients ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Brianda Alcazar
Bellflower, Calif. Brianda Alcazar, a California native who attended kindergarten in Sonora, Mexico, grew up with an immigrant-life experience of dual cultures, languages, and traditions. Alcazar is using this experience to identify with and help Latino immigrants. With a passion for social work that capitalizes on her strong motivation and empathy for other people, Alcazar earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from California State University, Long Beach. Her area of concentration is Latino youth and mental health. To find more ways to embody her favorite Gandhi quote (“You must be the ...
U.S. Latinos are a vibrant, dynamic population. But they also struggle with high rates of obesity, certain cancers and other diseases—and they are the least-likely U.S. racial/ethnic group to have access to health care and preventive measures. With open enrollment set to close in just days for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act (#ACA), let’s use #SaludTues on Feb. 10, 2015, to chat on Twitter about strategies and resources on how to increase Latinos health coverage and access to care: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Why Should Latinos #GetCovered Today?”
DATE: Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015
TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (@RWJF_Live), Elianne ...
Latinos in the Southern U.S. contribute to their communities, but struggle with accessing healthcare, stigmatization and immigration challenges, according to a new report. The report, The State of Latinos in the Deep South: Being Visible by Piercing the Stigma Veil from the Latinos in the Deep South program of the Latino Commission on AIDS, documents how Latinos in this region are firmly rooted, local contributors who have been adversely impacted by HIV/AIDS, chronic diseases, and national and local policies. The report was led by Dr. Miriam Vega of the Latino Commission on AIDS. Vega, who also is a former grantee of Salud America!, a Latino childhod obesity research network led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Mitzy Gonzalez
Carraboro, N.C. Growing up partaking in conversations and gossip that brewed when her mom served up café con leche for guest in their home in Titusville, Fla., Mitzy Gonzalez learned how to truly appreciate people’s stories and communicate through love. Now she’s making a career of improving people’s lives. Encouraged by her parents’ love and dedication, at age 20 Gonzalez earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies at the University of South Florida, and at age 21 is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Gonzalez’ areas ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Griselda Rubio
Laredo, Texas Griselda Rubio is the definition of healthy: A vegetarian who is physically fit and taught yoga and kickboxing. Rubio, born and raised in Laredo, Texas, has applied this passion for a healthy lifestyle and a love of learning to a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University, a master’s degree in health administration—and works to manage data, coordinate patients and community relations, and help with clinical research. She also believes that “you have to be able and willing to do a little bit of everything even if it means learning a new skill.” That’s why she ...
SaludToday Guest Blogger: Annette Raveneau
National Latino Press Secretary, Enroll America Obamacare’s open enrollment ends Feb. 15. But what does that mean exactly? I did not know what any lingo related to the health insurance industry meant even when I had health insurance through my previous jobs. Well, open enrollment is the window of opportunity you have to choose a health plan or switch from the one you have to another one. With the Health Insurance Marketplace – which is the market that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) established so everybody that is uninsured or underinsured can shop for quality, affordable health insurance – the open enrollment period for this year is from Nov. 15, 2014 until Feb. 15, 2015. So, this window is closing in less than a ...
U.S. women with breast cancer do not know much about their condition, and minority women are much less likely to report accurate knowledge about their tumors, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer, Medical News Today reports. Researchers asked 500 women about their breast cancer grade, stage, and subtype. "The results showed that while 32-82% said they knew each of the tumor characteristics they were asked about, only 20-58% could actually specify them correctly," according to the news article. Latina and black women had less knowledge about their tumors. Less knowledge was also associated with having less formal education and lower health literacy. A woman's cancer knowledge is important, researchers say, because patients who fully understand their cancer may be ...
Latinas are "the heart, el corazón, of the home, acting as gatekeepers for their loved ones' well-being. "But it is their own hearts that are in danger." So says Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for prevention at the American Heart Association, in a great new Huffington Post op-ed. Sanchez cites statistics that show Latinas are likely to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than white women. And it's the No. 1 killer of Latinas. Yet, he says, "80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented with education and lifestyle changes, lifestyle changes as simple as: cooking traditional foods with healthier ingredients; exercising as a family; asking for blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol checks; and even going grocery shopping together as a family for healthier ...
