A few months after her mother’s death, Mary Gonzalez asked her doctor, if she should have a mammogram, the doctor said she was too young. Two years after she found a lump under her arm and after insisting to have it checked she found out it was breast cancer. “It was like a bad dream. Things were going way too fast and I was in shock. Too many decisions had to be made in too little time. As I remembered my mother going through chemotherapy, losing her hair, the nausea and vomiting, I was terrified,” Gonzalez said. The fight against breast cancer became a family battle for the Gonzales “My husband and I became very educated on breast cancer and its treatment. We read, asked a lot of questions, and took it one step at a time.” One question that remained unanswered was ...
Although Latinas have lower rates of breast cancer, it is still the leading cause of cancer death in Hispanic women. According to the the Susan G. Komen Foundation, only 64% of Latinas have had a mammogram in the last two years compared to 67% White, non-Hispanic and 66% Black, non-Hispanic. Spread awareness about breast cancer by joining our weekly #SaludTues tweetchat WHAT: #SaludTuesTweetchat: “Breast Cancer: Early Detection Saves Lives”
DATE: Tuesday, October 06, 2015
TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: FDA en Espanol (FDAenEspanol,) FDA Women (@FDAWomen) Gobierno USA (@GobiernoUSA) USA Gov (@USAGov) #SaludTues is a weekly Tweetchat about Latino health at 12p CST/1p ET every Tuesday and hosted ...
In June 2012, the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force received funding from the WK Kellogg Foundation to launch the New Mexico Baby-Friendly® Hospital Project through October 31st, 2015. By mid-2015, eight of New Mexico’s 30 birthing facilities had been designated as Baby-Friendly, and during the final month of funding, more are working to achieve the certification. This improvement is excellent for New Mexico (47.7% Latino) mothers and babies because breastfeeding is associated with multiple long-term benefits for both mother and baby, including obesity prevention. Unfortunately, the three-month exclusive breastfeeding rates in New Mexico (30.3%) are below the national average (37.7%) and far below Vermont’s average (51.7%). The high rates of breastfeeding in Vermont ...
According to a new study most women in the U.S. sent by their doctors to be tested for BRCA1 and BRCA 2, two genes “that increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer” a leading cause of cancer death in Hispanic women, never met with a counselor beforehand, Reuters reports. "There are very clear and consistent guidelines that people should receive genetic counseling before genetic testing for cancer susceptibility," said Dr. Rebecca Sutphen, the study's senior author from the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa. Part of the problem, according to researchers is that many doctors are not recommending patients to see a genetic counselor and today there are cheaper and more accessible genetic test options. “Genetic counselors typically explain ...
A webinar was held on September 30 that revealed the equity data for the 100 largest cities in the United States. Many city leaders are facing new economic revivals; however this has not translated into better jobs, living wages, and ownership opportunities for Latinos and other minorities. City leaders face an urgent need to create policies and strategies to combat the deepening inequity problems. The webinar was co-sponsored by PolicyLink and the University of Southern California (USC) Program for Environmental & Regional Equity. Understanding the state of equity in cities is key to eliminating racial and ethnic disparities. The National Equity Atlas has been expanded to include data broken up by race, nationality, and income for the 100 largest cities in America. This tool ...
As of the 2011 census, there are over 25 million people in the United States had limited English proficiency. This includes people born outside and inside the United States. Spanish is still the most spoken language in the U.S. after English. There is also an increase in other non-English languages and the U.S. is seeing a great movement towards diversification. This population shift has greatly impacted health equity and health literacy. There is literally a lack of ability to effectively communicate health care ideas and strategies to many of the patients who need the information the most. One strategy formed to address this issue has been translating health materials used by healthcare providers. While this seems on the surface a simple solution, the issue is not as ...
Meg Reyes, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the early age of 33. “I was only required to have a lumpectomy,” she says, “but because of the tumor size my doctors were very aggressive in my treatment and removed 16 lymph nodes,” With the support of her family and co-workers Megan survived breast cancer. 10+ years after, she’s an unofficial counselor for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, she has lost 150 pounds, has lived in Germany and England and has hosted a Japanese exchange student. [Survivorship means]“living life even after something challenging happened in your life experience. It doesn’t have to be cancer, it can be anything that you survived and how you deal with those adverse action,” Reyes said. Read Meg’s full story on Redes en ...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled new strict rules that protect farm workers from hazardous pesticides, Fox Health reports. The new rules will benefit an estimated 2 million workers, mostly Latinos who work at or near farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses. “We depend on farm workers every day... they deserve fair, equitable working standards with strong health and safety protections," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement. Under the new regulations children under 18 are “prohibited from handling pesticides; training on pesticide protections is required annually instead of once every five years; expanded postings of no-entry signs on fields treated with hazardous pesticides are required; and improvements in personal protection ...
The National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) is hosting a virtual conference from October 13-16 with the topic being “Educating the Latino Community on the Affordable Care Act.” The goal of the conference is to educate nurses, students, healthcare professionals, and anyone else interested in educating Latinos on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The training module component will help prepare attendees that deal with Latino patients on a regular basis educate Latinos on the fundamentals of the ACA. This will include assisting them on applying for coverage through their state’s Medicaid site, through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Attendees will be able to connect the importance of health ...
