Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Mitzy Gonzalez
Carraboro, N.C. Growing up partaking in conversations and gossip that brewed when her mom served up café con leche for guest in their home in Titusville, Fla., Mitzy Gonzalez learned how to truly appreciate people’s stories and communicate through love. Now she’s making a career of improving people’s lives. Encouraged by her parents’ love and dedication, at age 20 Gonzalez earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies at the University of South Florida, and at age 21 is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Gonzalez’ areas ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Griselda Rubio
Laredo, Texas Griselda Rubio is the definition of healthy: A vegetarian who is physically fit and taught yoga and kickboxing. Rubio, born and raised in Laredo, Texas, has applied this passion for a healthy lifestyle and a love of learning to a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University, a master’s degree in health administration—and works to manage data, coordinate patients and community relations, and help with clinical research. She also believes that “you have to be able and willing to do a little bit of everything even if it means learning a new skill.” That’s why she ...
School lunches and snacks are becoming more nutritious thanks to improved federal nutrition regulations—but this is only part of the school food solution. Nutrition education for kids is a critical component. One seasoned children’s TV producer, who witnessed the childhood obesity epidemic as she raised her own kids, had an idea to use new technology to engage kids in learning about healthy living. Because of her, thousands of kids in Massachusetts, New York, and Florida have begun learning through KickinNutrition.TV, a digital platform for teachers to use to instruct students on healthy eating habits and exercise through videos, online gaming, and a social-media-like engagement designed for elementary- and middle-schoolers. EMERGENCE Awareness/Learn: Natasha Lance Rogoff worked ...
Dr. Amelie Ramirez created the Salud America! program and social media campaign to raise awareness of Latino health equity and drive solutions. But just who is Ramirez? Check out this new profile of Ramirez that describes how she emerged from humble beginnings in Laredo, Texas, developed a desire to help her population get healthier, and has spent 30 years dedicating her life to using research, interventions, innovative educational communications, and community outreach to promote healthful behaviors among Latinos. "My passion is based on the knowledge that our Hispanic population has not received enough information on how to reduce and prevent health problems," Ramirez said. "They develop more of the chronic diseases. And, as time passes, their rates of getting these diseases ...
SaludToday Guest Blogger: Annette Raveneau
National Latino Press Secretary, Enroll America Obamacare’s open enrollment ends Feb. 15. But what does that mean exactly? I did not know what any lingo related to the health insurance industry meant even when I had health insurance through my previous jobs. Well, open enrollment is the window of opportunity you have to choose a health plan or switch from the one you have to another one. With the Health Insurance Marketplace – which is the market that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) established so everybody that is uninsured or underinsured can shop for quality, affordable health insurance – the open enrollment period for this year is from Nov. 15, 2014 until Feb. 15, 2015. So, this window is closing in less than a ...
U.S. women with breast cancer do not know much about their condition, and minority women are much less likely to report accurate knowledge about their tumors, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer, Medical News Today reports. Researchers asked 500 women about their breast cancer grade, stage, and subtype. "The results showed that while 32-82% said they knew each of the tumor characteristics they were asked about, only 20-58% could actually specify them correctly," according to the news article. Latina and black women had less knowledge about their tumors. Less knowledge was also associated with having less formal education and lower health literacy. A woman's cancer knowledge is important, researchers say, because patients who fully understand their cancer may be ...
What's one of the world's leading cause of blindness? Glaucoma—and it's far more prevalent in Latinos and blacks. Glaucoma, a gradual eye disease that causes damage to the optic nerve, has few symptoms. Peripheral or side vision begins to worsen without patients realizing it, which enables the disease to progress into later stages, according to the Mount Sinai Health System. How can you prevent it (and keep your eyes healthy)? According to the National Eye Institute (NEI): Have a comprehensive dilated eye exam. A dilated eye exam is the only way to detect diseases like glaucoma in their early stages.
Know your family's eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with a disease or condition since many are hereditary.
Eat right to ...
Latinas are "the heart, el corazón, of the home, acting as gatekeepers for their loved ones' well-being. "But it is their own hearts that are in danger." So says Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for prevention at the American Heart Association, in a great new Huffington Post op-ed. Sanchez cites statistics that show Latinas are likely to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than white women. And it's the No. 1 killer of Latinas. Yet, he says, "80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented with education and lifestyle changes, lifestyle changes as simple as: cooking traditional foods with healthier ingredients; exercising as a family; asking for blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol checks; and even going grocery shopping together as a family for healthier ...
Teachers and youth groups in Texas now have access to a free mobile app to help them with teaching important nutrition and physical activity concepts. The new Teach Healthier mobile app, which was launched at the TAHPERD Convention in December 2014, was developed by It's Time Texas in partnership with: Snap-Ed, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, and The University of Texas School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus. In just one month over 1,000 individuals have downloaded the app. According to an It's Time Texas blog, coach Katie Harris at the Harmony Science Academy, a school located in Northwest in Houston, uses the app at least 2-3 times a week to teach PE and health to her 5th, 6th and 8th grade students. Wiithout the app Harris would not be able to teach important ...
