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#SaludTues Tweetchat 10/4/22: Exploring the Diversity of the Latino Population


carnival festival diversity of latinos for hispanic heritage month dance

Latinos now comprise 18.9% of the U.S. population. This “minority majority” is a dynamic, rising population with heritages from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, South America, Central America, and many more. And the wellbeing of this diverse culture of people is the key to the future health of the nation. To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15), let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, to explore the diversity of the Latino population and how we can improve Latino health. WHAT: #SaludTues: Exploring the Diversity of the Latino Population TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST (Noon-1 p.m. CST), Tuesday, Oct 4, 2022 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: City Health Dashboard (@CityHealthData); S. Dept. of Health & ...

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Celebrating Our Heroes on National Latina Day August 20, 2022!


National Latina Day

Today we honor Latinas who are mitigating health inequities and disparities in the Latino community for National Latina Day on Aug. 20, 2022. Here are their stories of resilience, hard work, and success. Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez Meet Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH, an internationally recognized researcher and director of Salud America! and its home base, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. She is also Chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences, and Associate Director of Cancer Outreach and Engagement at Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. Amelie has spent more than 30 years reducing chronic disease and cancer health disparities affecting Latinos through human and organizational communication research. Q: What inspired you to choose ...

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How Farmers Markets Can Promote Racial Justice


farmers market week racial justice

Does your town have a farmers market? Farmers markets are a path to healthy food access. They are especially important amid the push for nutrition security and racial/ethnic justice. Fortunately, the Farmers Market Coalition is stepping up to support farmers markets. They’re supporting markers, creating an anti-racist toolkit, and sharing how markets increase equitable access to healthy, fresh produce and social connections, and engage farmers in the local economy. "As hubs for connection and community resilience, farmers markets have particularly risen to the occasion this year by providing a necessary sense of unity and stability during a time of great uncertainty," according to the coalition. "Farmers markets don’t just happen. The hard work of farmers market operators ...

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Donate a Biospecimen Today to Improve Latino Health Outcomes!



Have you ever wanted to help improve Latino health? Now is your chance! The National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program is recruiting at least one million diverse people to share information about their health history and environment. Information collected for the database helps researchers learn how biology, lifestyle, and our environment affects our health. As part of the effort, participants donate a biospecimen in the form of a blood or saliva sample. Biospecimens can help researchers find new ways to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or cancer, among Latinos and other groups. “We may study your samples to measure things that naturally occur within our bodies, for example, cholesterol,” according to the All of Us ...

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Tampon Shortage Sheds Light on Period Poverty


looking at tampon

Amid the baby formula shortage, American women are now facing a tampon shortage. The shortage has resulted in a 10% price increase in the last year, with some retailers price gouging as high as $114 for one box of 18 tampons. The shortage stems from the economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a shortage of raw materials and labor. As some women frustratingly scour multiple stores to buy menstrual hygiene products, others fall deeper into period poverty. The High Cost of Menstruating While menstruating women nationwide are affected by this shortage, low-income women, such as Latinas, are hit particularly hard as they already face disproportionate health inequities, including a lack of access to healthy food, affordable housing, and childcare. Nearly 22 ...

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The Unsung Impact of Latinos on the U.S. Economy


Latino Impact on U.S. economy

Latinos are driving the U.S. economy thanks to a rise in population, workforce participation, entrepreneurship, and economic contributions. But progress is hampered by COVID-19, discrimination, and wage disparities. “There’s no doubt Latinos are slowly being more fully integrated into the US economy. Yet there’s also no doubt there’s a long way to go, especially for first-generation Latino immigrant,” according to Lucy Perez, Bernardo Sichel, Michael Chui, and Ana Paula Calvo of McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. Let’s explore how Latinos are influencing the economy now and in the future. Latino Population Growth Latinos account for over 18.5% of the total U.S. population. As the Latino population has continued to grow rapidly, it has ...

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Achieving Cancer Treatment Equity Requires Diversity Among Oncologists


Latino oncologist

Oncologists who identify as Latino remain highly underrepresented in the workforce, according to a new report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Although the percentage of Latino hematologists/oncologists has risen slightly over the past decade, from 4.1% in 2008 to 4.7% in 2018, Latino participation decreases at nearly every step in the path to becoming an oncologist, according to ASCO. “As a result, [Latino] patients are deprived the benefits of a representative workforce, such as improved access, enhanced culturally and linguistically competent care, and minimization of health disparities,” wrote Dr. Gladys Rodriguez of the START Center for Cancer Care in San Antonio, and her colleagues, in a recent study in JCO Oncology Practice. Why is this a ...

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