As of 2017, the U.S. is home to roughly 44 million immigrants – the largest number of immigrants in the world, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The majority of immigrants are Latino. They relocate from Mexico as well as other countries such as El Salvador, Cuba, Dominican Republic, India, China, the Philippines, and Vietnam. To protect immigrant health—as well as the general public wellness—scientists from the Society of Behavioral Health (SBM) recommend that congress impose strict restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intervention in or around medical facilities. "Protecting the health of immigrants promotes health equity and is an important investment in protecting the health of the American public including schools, families, communities, ...
The Trump Administration has announced its final decision regarding the public charge rule, which is set to take effect Oct. 15, 2019. This new regulation changes the policies used to decide whether the officials can deny an individual's citizenship application or modifications to their citizenship status if they are determined likely to become a public charge, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The changes could considerably reduce the number of legal immigrants permitted to enter and stay in the U.S. — by making it easier to reject green card and visa applications. The new rule is bad news for public health, according to Mark Del Monte, CEO and Interim Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "[We] strongly opposes the final rule issued ...
Researchers now say Latinos and blacks experiencing a stroke are less likely to receive life-saving treatments than their white counterparts. These procedures are proven to reduce fatalities and improve patients' quality of life. Still, the systemic racism found in many healthcare systems prevents minority communities from receiving this procedure, according to new research in the American Heart Association's (AHA) Stroke. "As disparities in stroke care, in general, have been repeatedly and consistently demonstrated, I would say the results were not surprising, though they remain frustrating and concerning," the study's lead author, Dr. Lorenzo Rinaldo—a neurosurgeon at the Mayo Clinic—said in a press release.
About the Implicit Bias Study
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic ...
Last week's horrific mass shooting that targeted Latinos in an El Paso Walmart has shaken the nation. In spite of the hatred that motivated the shooting, 11-year-old Ruben Martinez in El Paso started a campaign on social media to help his community heal: The El Paso Challenge. Ruben suggested that kindness could be spread by doing 20 good deeds in honor of the victims of the shooting (the death toll later rose to 23). It all started when Ruben told his mom, Rose Gandarilla, he was afraid to go to the store. "He was having some trouble dealing with what happened," Rose Gandarilla, Ruben's mother, told CNN. "I explained to him that we could not live in fear and that people in our community are caring and loving. I told him to try and think of something he could do to make El ...
Most understand that systemic racism in the healthcare industry has been a problem for a long time — it continues today. Recent research has shown that Latino and black children are more likely to die of childhood cancers than their white counterparts. Still, some medical organizations realize this gap, which has led to some progress . The American Academy of Pediatricians initiated a call to action in its recent policy statement earlier this week, which aims to reduce the impact of racism and improve health equity for all children. “While progress has been made toward racial equality, the impact of racism on communities of color is wide-reaching, systemic and complex,” Dr. Maria Trent, lead author of the policy statement, said in a press release. The document brings ...
The City of San Francisco (15.1% Latino) unanimously approved legislation to create an Office of Racial Equity on Tuesday. The position will oversee a citywide race-equality plan, according to city officials as reported by NBC Bay Area. "This legislation will hold us accountable to moving the needle for racial equity in our city and addressing the disparities facing communities of color with regards to economic stability, housing, health outcomes or policing," said City Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer, who proposed the legislation along with Supervisor Vallie Brown. "It is long past due that San Francisco makes real our commitment to racial equity, and this Office of Racial Equity will make sure that everyone in San Francisco has equitable opportunity to survive."
Racial Equity ...
Latinas and black women may face increased risks of developing triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC), according to a study published in Cancer. These forms are often aggressive and do not respond to hormone therapy or targeted therapy. These latest findings solidify known cancer development disparities, which continue to grow amongst Latinos, other racial/ethnic minority groups, and young women.
Breast Cancer Inequities Dr. Lia Scott, of the Georgia State University School of Public Health, and her team studied all available diagnosed breast cancer cases from 2010 to 2014 using the U.S. Cancer Statistics database. It consists of a population-based surveillance system of cancer registries with numbers representing 99% of the U.S. population. "With the advent and ...
Minorities who visit an emergency room in the U.S. are less likely to receive prescriptions for certain medications than Whites, according to a new study. Researchers found that Latinos and Blacks specifically face disparities in obtaining analgesics, which include a wide range of pain killers. The study also noted that other minority communities might undergo similar experiences, but further research is needed in the topic. “The reasons for these disparities are likely complex and multifold and may include factors such as implicit bias, language barriers, and cultural differences in the perception and expression of pain and institutional differences in ERs that serve mostly Black and Hispanic patients,” Dr. Andrew Meltzer, senior author of the study and a researcher at George ...
The San Francisco district attorney’s office said it plans to enable prosecutors to make charging decisions in some criminal cases without knowing the race or background of the suspects and victims, a move aimed at reducing the potential for implicit bias in prosecutions, according to the L.A. Times. This is great news for Latinos and minorities, who traditionally face negative stereotypes and police discrimination.
What is Implicit Bias?
This unconscious thinking is preconceived attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions. Assumptions like these then influence your actions and judgments: A widely held, simplified, and essentialist belief about a specific group (race or ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, sex, sexuality, and so ...
