Every month the Salud America! team at the Institute of Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio showcases the latest health news, clinical trials, research study results, and stories impacting the Latino community. Salud America! is led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez. “Our mission is to inspire people to drive change for health improvement for Latino and all families,” said Ramirez, professor and director of the IHPR at UT Health San Antonio. In August, Salud America! helped celebrate an achievement in collaboration with Genentech, shared back to school resources, covered inequities in Latino healthcare and chronic diseases, and much more! Let’s take a deeper dive into some of the topics, news, and stories published in July that are ...
Use of tobacco is one of the biggest modifiable risk factors for major and chronic diseases. The prolonged use or overuse of tobacco and nicotine continues to wreak havoc on populations, especially vulnerable populations such as Latinos, putting them at higher risk for these diseases. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released its annual report on the state of mental health and substance use in the US. Based on results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States covers mental health and substance use, including tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, and more. In part one of our series, we’re going to explore the report and find out how using tobacco and nicotine ...
Mistreatment based on background and unfair treatment are among Latinos’ biggest challenges to healthcare. Driven by years of mistreatment, Latinos and other vulnerable groups face challenges in care and mistrust of the healthcare system. This prompts reluctance to receive life-saving care or health screenings. Putting off care can result in a delayed diagnosis and prolonged and more expensive medical treatment for chronic diseases, such as cancer, leading to worse health outcomes. But how widespread is mistreatment in healthcare? Doctors are more likely to use negative language when referencing Black and Latino patients in medical records, according to a new study in JMIR Medical Informatics. Let’s unpack the study and the meaning behind the results. ...
Cancer continues to be a leading cause of death in Latinos. Long-standing mistreatment of vulnerable populations have led to a higher exposure to risk factors for cancer, such as obesity, diabetes, and stress. These risk factors are compounded by the non-medical drivers of health (NMDoH) such as access to healthy foods, transportation, and health insurance that many Latinos face, making it difficult to seek healthcare, culminating in worse health outcomes. Another big factor is driving worse health for Latinos – a lack of preventative care. 64% of Latinos skipped recommended health screenings, such as colonoscopies, pap smears, mammograms, and more, according to a news release about the second annual Wellness Matters Survey published by Aflac. Let’s ...
An estimated 795,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, amounting to one stroke every 40 seconds, according to the Stroke Awareness Foundation. Every 4 minutes, someone dies from a stroke, according to the American Stroke Association. Due to background differences that affect many Latinos, stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death in Latino men and the third for Latina women. Stroke is also a top cause of serious, long-term mental or physical challenge. The Stroke Awareness Foundation found that within 5 years of a first stroke, 25% of survivors will face another, complicating health for more than 7 million survivors. This makes access to care critical, especially for Latinos, who often lack health insurance. However, Latinos were less likely than ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, shares insights on health on a new episode of the CDC's Listen Up! podcast series for health communicators, by health communicators. Her episode is "Not a Monolith: Empowering Latino Health." She also shares the importance of Salud America! Salud Heroes, how to take action to improve the non-medical drivers of health, and how to build trust and wellbeing within communities. Listen to Ramirez's episode. See the full Listen Up! podcast series, hosted by Dr. Betsy Mitchell in CDC’s Office of Communications. "It's family, faith, and language that are key, important ... issues to keep in mind [when sharing health messages to empower people]," Ramirez said on her episode.
Dr. Ramirez & Her Health ...
As a doctor’s son, Daniel Ruben Flores grew up in his family’s pediatric clinic. He and his siblings hammered away at their math and reading homework after school at the clinic, while their parents helped the sick. Flores often paused to admire the handwritten letters – and drawings of his father with a stethoscope – on the wall from patients thanking the pediatrician for caring for them. “Wow, all these other kids really appreciate my dad and all the work he’s doing,” Flores recalled fondly. “I feel like that just kind of motivates you ... to go into the field.” Witnessing his father’s work and the impact he had on his patients helped spark a fire in Flores to pursue medicine and help people, too. He’s taking big steps now – like ...
You can help create a healthier future. Volunteers for registries, research programs, and clinical trials can help researchers learn how to slow, manage, and treat cancer and other diseases. “With improved research participation, researchers have more opportunity to create better prevention and treatments that work for all people,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. Here are seven research opportunities based in San Antonio and beyond to explore this month!
1. Latina Health Reproductive Health Screenings
University of Texas at San Antonio researchers are seeking Hispanic and Latina women between ages 50 and 65 living in San Antonio to comment about their last Pap ...
Facing homelessness and battling PTSD, adverse experiences, and disability, US Navy veteran Olivia Zavala Carridine was struggling. She found a lifeline in Grace After Fire. Olivia, a mother of four in San Antonio, got pivotal support from the women veteran’s organization – which aims to provide women the resources and tools to succeed in her community, work, and home after leaving the military. “[Grace After Fire] has empowered me to believe that I shouldn't be ashamed of my story,” she said. “I have a sisterhood with women that I didn't have many times with my sisters serving alongside me.” Olivia got back on her feet with the help of Grace After Fire – and she’s not the only one.
Grace After Fire Origins
Some wars take place on a battlefield, ...
