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Coronavirus Is Hitting People in Poverty the Hardest


Coronavirus Poverty Hardest system justification

Lack of access to healthy food, insufficient health insurance coverage, living paycheck-to-paycheck — all issues that have impacted U.S. low-income families for decades. Sadly, experts say these problems are worsening as the current novel coronavirus, COVID-19, continues to spread. This leaves the millions of men, women, and children, including the 3 million people who have recently lost their jobs, at risk of more issues than just becoming sick. Latinos—many of whom fall below the poverty line—could face significant hardship without a dedicated response from local, state, and federal leaders. "What we are seeing around the country is that we're operating and telling people to do things from the position of wealth," Rev. William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People's ...

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Salud Talks Podcast Episode 23: “Keeping Calm Amid the Coronavirus”


Keeping Calm Amid the Coronavirus webpic

As COVID-19 continues to dominate headlines, all of us are experiencing new levels of stress and anxiety. With that in mind, we have something a bit different for you all. Public health workers from the Institute for Health Promotion Research join Salud Talks to share their best practices in how—in the words of another global crisis—they are keeping calm and carrying on. Check out this discussion on the Salud Talks Podcast, Episode 23, "Keeping Calm Amid the Coronavirus"!  WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion about the current novel coronavirus outbreak and ways to stay sane. GUESTS:  Ariel Morales - Research Area Specialist Dr. Daniel C. Hughes - IHPR Assistant Professor Research Angelika Aguilar - Research Associate Stacy Cantu - Program Coordinator ...

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What the New Coronavirus Law Means for Paid Sick Leave, Family Leave


Paid leave provisions in coronavirus relief bill.

People need to stay home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Covid-19. However, for the 27% of the U.S. private workforce with no paid sick leave, staying home isn’t an option, particularly for the full prescribed 14-day quarantine. That’s why a form of paid sick leave and family/childcare leave are part of a new $100 billion relief law, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which also includes nutrition aid, unemployment health insurance, and free COVID-19 testing. Trump signed the new law on March 18, 2020. It goes into effect April 2, 2020. But the new law could leave out up to 19 million workers, roughly 12% of the workforce, including many low-income Latinos, women, and other vulnerable populations, experts say. Moreover, economists estimate that three ...

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Coronavirus Highlights Inequities Impacting Latinos, Communities of Color


Coronavirus Inequities Communities of Color

Time and again, statistics go to show that communities of color, including Latinos, face a rampant and widespread lack of access to quality healthcare. In this state of emergency that the U.S. faces with the outbreak of the current novel coronavirus, COVID-19, those disadvantages are worse than ever. Disadvantaged groups currently, and will continue to, experience burdens in receiving, affording, and managing medical treatment as the virus continues to spread. “Crises such as H1N1 and COVID-19 provide a mirror for our society and the actions we take — or fail to take,” writes Dr. Richard E. Besser, the president, and chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in the Washington Post. “Today, the United States in that mirror is one in which the risk of exposure ...

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Study: Since Trump, Latino Youth Anxiety Over Immigration Has Skyrocketed


hispanic boy teen youth child immigrant sad anxiety mental health

U.S.-born Latino youth with immigrant parents suffer "significantly increased" anxiety over immigration since the election of President Donald Trump in 2016, according to a recent study. Researchers in California and Arizona studied 397 U.S. citizen children of Latino immigrants. They compared children before the election at age 14 and after the election at age 16, to see if their concerns over immigration policy linked up to worse mental, physical health. Nearly half the youth worried "at least sometimes" about U.S. immigration policy. That included whether they'd be reported to immigration officials or their parents would be deported. Their health problems surged after the 2016 election, according to the study. "Fear and worry about the personal consequences of current U.S. ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 3/17: Strategies for Social Justice & Health Equity


social justice health equity protest group tweetchat

We want to see a United States that achieves health equity, where all people have a fair, just opportunity to live their healthiest lives. But so many people face social, environmental, and health injustices. So let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, to discuss the state of social justice and offer strategies on how we can all work together to achieve health equity for all! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Strategies for Social Justice and Health Equity TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, March 17, 2020 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS:  The Association of American Medical Colleges (@AAMCtoday), Dr. Karey Sutton (@DR_KMSutton), Dr. Philip M. Alberti (@PM_Alberti) HASHTAG: #SaludTues OPTIONAL HASHTAGS: ...

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8 Big Questions for Latinos on the New Public Charge Rules and Immigration


Latino immigrant family boy public charge

A new Public Charge rule is part of U.S. immigration policy, as of Feb. 24, 2020. Supporters say it will protect taxpayers from overspending on welfare. They say it will help accept self-reliant, industrious immigrants. Detractors say it will inflame deportation fears among immigrants. They say it will cause immigrants to forgo needed food, housing vouchers, and health care—even if eligible. Here is what Latinos and all people should know about Public Charge. 1. What Is 'Public Charge'? The Public Charge rule has served as an immigration policy since the 1880s. The rule sets up "grounds of inadmissibility." That is, it spells out reasons that a person could be denied a green card, visa, or admission" to the U.S., according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. A ...

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Implicit Bias Against Latinos Creates an Unfair Criminal Justice System, Says Report


implicit bias in the courtroom criminal justice system latino hispanic attorney jury

Implicit bias against Latinos is jeopardizing the fairness of the U.S. criminal justice system, says a recent report. Latinos already comprise 53% of those charged with federal crimes. Now the fate of those defendants is increasingly complicated by the "behavior of defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges, jurors, and probation and pre-trial service officers through implicit racial bias and racial stereotyping," according to Walter Gonçalves, a federal public defender in Arizona. Implicit bias can affect juries, bail, and sentencing. "Given this reality, defense attorneys should carefully study and become familiar with racial stereotyping and implicit bias. Only in this way will they be able to educate others in the system," Gonçalves writes in a report published in Seattle ...

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Salud Talks Podcast Episode 20: “A Positive Experience”


STE20 Positive Experience Web Pic

When was the last time you noticed whether or not a sidewalk had a ramped curb cut for those in wheelchairs? Or if an intersection had a Soundsystem for the visually impaired? For over 60 million Americans with disabilities, these issues can become an everyday burden when equal access is not a priority for local, state, and federal governments. Worse, it can make the already more difficult aspects of living life even harder for those in that group. Bob Lujano, Information Specialist for the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability joins Salud Talks to discuss these issues, and how we all can step up to make life more equitable for his community. Check out this discussion on the Salud Talks Podcast, Episode 20, "A Positive Experience"! WHAT: A ...

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