Hispanic Heritage Month is here! This annual U.S. observance, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. We at Salud America! invite you to think outside the box and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in these awesome ways.
1. Find Out How Hispanic Heritage Month Started
U.S. Congressmen Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles and Henry B. Gonzales were among those who introduced legislation on the topic in 1968. President Lyndon Johnson implemented the observance as Hispanic Heritage Week that year. U.S. Rep. Esteban E. Torres of Pico Rivera proposed the observance be expanded to cover its current 30-day period. President Ronald Reagan ...
Latinos and blacks are more likely to be taken by ambulance to safety-net hospital emergency rooms, and not always the closest hospital, according to a new study. National guidelines require EMS transportation to the nearest suitable hospital. However, the study, led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, found large racial/ethnic differences for where emergency patients are taken. Latinos and blacks were more likely than whites to be taken to a safety-net hospital—one with a legal obligation or mission to give health care regardless of insurance status. This suggests "ambulance diversion" bias, where ambulances don't take certain patients to the nearest suitable hospital. "The cause for this observed pattern is unknown and needs to be further studied to ...
Mental health experts are worried as the Trump administration pursues new policy that would allow it to indefinitely detain migrant families who have crossed the U.S. border illegally, rather than a maximum of 20 days NPR reports. Detainment is damaging children's mental health, they say. "If the regulation goes through and we hope it will not ... we're going to see additional harm done to children," Luis Zayas, a clinical social worker and psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin, told NPR.
Long Detainment Stays = Trauma
Detained immigrant children and families already face big stress, according to a recent study. Researchers interviewed 425 mothers of children at the detention center. The mothers filled out a questionnaire about mental health symptoms in their ...
Latino kids who experience the immigration-related arrest of a family member report more severe levels of depression than those who don’t have such an experience, according to new research. This is especially true for children who have one or both parents undocumented. “These arrests often are a distant abstract fear or urban legend for many Latino kids, but it becomes very real and frightening when it happens to their family, which can have serious repercussions for their mental health,” said lead researcher Dr. Zachary Giano of Oklahoma State University, in a press release.
Distressing Findings
The research, led by Oklahoma State University, is published in the American Psychological Association's journal Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. The scientists ...
Podcasts are huge — there are over 750,000 shows on the market — but few focus on health equity. That's why Salud America! is lanching the Salud Talks podcast. The project will feature discussions on Latino health equity with guests who are working in the issues, both at the national and grassroots levels. To further that discussion, let’s use #SaludTues on Twitter on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, to discuss podcasts and how they can be one of the best tools to disseminate public health information! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Podcasts and Health Equity”
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: @DrCHHuntley, @DoctoraEdith, @latinxtherapy, Dr. Erlanger "Earl" ...
Latino children are likely to enter elementary schools this year with fewer white peers than a generation ago, a sign of increasing school segregation, according to researchers in the journal Educational Researcher. In 1998, U.S. Latino children attended elementary schools in which nearly 40% of their classmates were white. That percentage fell to just 30% in 2010. Segregation grows into severe isolation in large urban school districts. In the nation’s 10 poorest districts, Latino elementary students attended, on average, schools that were just 5% white—down from 7% white in 1998. “It's essential that we consider hard evidence as the nation debates questions of fairness, segregation, and immigration,” according to study co-author Claudia Galindo of the University of ...
Climate change is not and will not impact all people equally — Latinos and other minority groups shoulder the most significant threats. Worse, cities in the U.S. are illustrating that fact today, according to a recent study from the University of Michigan. Their research shows that climate change subjects minority communities to high risks of chemical and environmental exposures. “A key finding of this report is that environmental injustice exists across Michigan, with residents of low-income and minority communities disproportionately burdened by environmental contamination and health risks—just as we saw in Flint,” Paul Mohai, a professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, told Michigan News. Latinos, who already experience harm at ...
Continuing its work to promote action for Latino health equity, Salud America! is launching a new project: The Salud Talks podcast. This production, which will go live on Wed., Sept. 4, expands on previously covered topic areas of Latino health and life — approaching each discussion with a holistic mindset. Episodes will be available every Wednesday morning on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud. "The Salud Talks podcast is yet another extension of Salud America!'s wide and impactful reach," said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! "The podcast will give listeners insight into many of the health disparities impacting Latinos and all Americans. Furthermore, it will raise awareness of emerging solutions to those disparities."
What to Expect
The podcast's first ...
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, ...
