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 ...
Researchers have recently discovered 65 genetic variants in minority populations, which could lead to improved specialized medicines for those groups. Up to this point, doctors have conducted the majority of medical discovery research using data from people with European ancestry, according to the international science journal, Nature — leading to a lack of diversity that hinders precision medicine for minority populations. The news is excellent for Latinos and all minorities who have traditionally been understudied or left out of clinical research. “This is an extremely important public health issue,” Misa Graff, assistant professor in the school’s epidemiology department and co-author of the paper told UNC News. “We need to work hard to make sure that the ...
June marks Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month. This is a time to reflect on the many challenges and inequities facing people of color in the United States when it comes to Alzheimer's Disease and overall brain health. Sadly, U.S. Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than whites, studies show. Alcohol, sleep deprivation, and diabetes play a role in this gap. Worse, Latino caregivers can experience high levels of stress when supporting their family members with the disease. To understand and address these disparities, people must pay more attention to the role of the social determinants of health. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, June 25, 2019, to tweet about the latest research and beneficial strategies and programs to prevent and reduce ...
We already know that Latinos are more likely to die on the job compared to their white and black counterparts. The majority of Latino work-related deaths happen in the construction industry, and most fatalities affect foreign-born Latinos. However, there is good news: This issue was addressed at the Safety 2019 Conference. “There is a lack of communication between foreign-born Latinos, their superiors and even their coworkers because of limited language capabilities,” Carmen Julia Castellon, Health and Safety Specialist for U.S. Cellular and a Bolivian immigrant, told EHS Today.
Latinos & Workplace Harms
Latinos make up 19% of all workforce fatalities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2016, 879 Latino workers were killed on the job. Just one year ...
Latino workers are more likely to die on the job than anyone else. Most of the Latinos killed are also immigrants, according to a news report by KALW radio. “In 2017, we lost 376 workers [in California],” Jora Trang, a managing attorney at the labor rights’ organization Worksafe, told KALW. “That’s more than one worker a day.”
Latinos & Job Fatalities
Latinos have disproportionately died on the job for quite some time. In 2016, 879 Latino workers were killed on the job. In 2017, that number rose to 903. This puts the Latino fatality rate higher than the national job fatality rate for all workers, Latino Rebels reports. “This is a national crisis. And it’s well past time that our elected leaders in Washington, D.C., stop playing politics and take ...
