Volunteering for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s helps other people. It gives the volunteer a nice emotional boost, too. So why not volunteer your “digital voice” or “actions”? We at Salud America! invite you to take or start these 17 actions to promote health for Latino and all families this holiday season!
1. Get Your Town's Health Report Card!
How is the state of health in your community? Find out by downloading a Salud America! Health Report Card for your town! Enter your county name and get auto-generated local data with interactive maps and comparative gauges on several health indicators. This can help you visualize and explore local issues in education, housing, transportation, food, health, and more. See how your county stacks up compared to the ...
National Marrow Awareness Month is observed in November. This is a time to recognize transplant physicians, pioneering researchers, and selfless donors who make life-saving stem cell and bone marrow transplants possible, according to according to OriGen Biomedical. “Their combined efforts embody the true meaning of hope, healing, and humanity,” according to the company. With this in mind, let’s explore how bone marrow donations can help others, recognize donors, and educate others about marrow and stem cell donation.
What is Bone Marrow and Why is it Needed?
About 18,000 people in the U.S. with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other serious blood disorders need a bone marrow or stem cell transplant to survive every year, according to the Columbia University Herbert ...
When the holidays season is in full swing, families and friends gather to enjoy time together over warms meals and plenty of dessert. But sometimes food spoils the party. Every year, foodborne diseases sicken 1 in 6 Americans (48 million people), hospitalize 128,000 people, and kill 3,000 people, according to the CDC. Let’s tackle how we can prepare food safely and keep the holidays healthy.
What Is Food Poisoning?
You can get sick with food poisoning after swallowing certain germs like salmonella. Common symptoms include: Diarrhea
Stomach pain or cramps
Nausea
Vomiting
Fever “Most people have mild illnesses [from food poisoning], but some infections spread by food are serious or even life-threatening. Some people may need ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and a cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, joined a special episode of The Cancer Letter Podcast in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month to discuss cancer, policy, and communities. In the podcast episode, Dr. Ramirez joined with Dr. Ruben Mesa, executive director of the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Dr. Luis Carvajal Carmona, associate vice chancellor and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at University of California, Davis. The trio discuss federal policy impact on cancer, including the non-medical drivers of health, research investment, and AI. It’s really been a mission of mine to really raise the flag on the importance ...
Heart disease is a persistent threat for many Americans, including Latinos. As of 2022, heart disease is the leading cause of death of people living in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many behaviors contribute to an increased risk for heart-related diseases, from lifestyle choices such as smoking, excessive alcohol use, physical activity, poor diet, as well as many health conditions, such as stress, obesity, and diabetes. And researchers are still learning more about these and other risks. In fact, let’s explore six recent studies on the relationship between physical behaviors and the risk of heart disease that you should be aware of.
1. Viral Infections Can Increase Risk for Heart Disease
Viral infections, such as ...
November is National Family Caregivers Month (NFCM)! NFCM is an opportunity to recognize family caregivers across the country and “raise awareness of caregiving issues, educate communities, and increase support for caregivers,” according to the Administration for Community Living. “Being a caregiver can bring joy and purpose, but it can also lead to stress, exhaustion, and worry about mental health for both you and your loved one,” according to Mental Health America. With this in mind, we've compiled a list of where tools and resources for family caregivers can be found.
Latinos and Caregiving
"Family caregivers include parents, friends, neighbors, and even children, and they span across
all ages, races and ethnicities, incomes, and communities," according ...
Cancer continues to be a leading cause of death for Latinos and all people in the US. But thanks to modern medicine, which includes cancer screenings, prevention techniques, and treatments, the number of cancer survivors is on the rise. Researchers are constantly working on new ways to mitigate and manage cancer and symptoms. However, some of these can come from unlikely places. For instance, researchers have found a link between the COVID-19 vaccine and the cancer immune system, according to a new publication in the journal Nature. Let’s go over the findings and what they mean for cancer patients.
Research Findings on COVID-19 Vaccine and Cancer
The discovery was made when researchers were developing mRNA vaccines for brain tumor patients back in ...
Type 2 diabetes has increased at an alarming rate in children, increasing to between 24% and 45% (compared to 1-2% before the mid-1990s), with the average age of diagnosis being around 13 years old, according to research. This can deeply effect young Latinos, as more than 22% of Latino youth and 28.7% of Latino young adults have prediabetes. Many factors contribute to this rise, including childhood obesity, genetics, and diet. Now, researchers from Florida Atlantic University have found that where a child lives can also factor into their risk for type 2 diabetes. Let’s explore this research and see how it impacts children and their communities.
Behind the Research on Diabetes in Children
Researchers for Florida Atlantic University’s ’s Charles E. Schmidt College of ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, will receive the 2025 Sedgwick Memorial Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health from the American Public Health Association (APHA). The award recognizes Ramirez's work in public health, which spans more than 30 years, and is a powerful testament to the legacy of the late Dr. Sedgwick. Ramirez and other APHA awards will be honored Monday, Nov. 3, 2026, during APHA’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo. "We celebrate the accomplishments and commitment of [Dr. Ramirez and] these outstanding public health leaders," said Dr. Georges Benjamin, APHA leader, in a statement. "Their contributions have helped strengthen the field and provide inspiration as we ...
