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Latino Health in Focus: Progress in the Fight Against Breast, Liver, and Colorectal Cancer



Find the latest advances in Latino health—studies on liver cancer rates and colorectal cancer screening, and a promotora’s heartwarming story of survival—in the IHPR Noticias E-newsletter. IHPR Noticias has lots of info on the latest local and national health disparities-related news, resources and events: Story: A Latina Cancer Survivor Makes a Career of Helping Others through Cancer (Pg. 1) Profile: An Aspiring Doctor, Jennifer Garcia-Davalos, Works for Latino Health (Pg. 2) Study: South Texas Latinos Have Nation’s Highest Liver Cancer Rates (Pg. 3) Study: Local Researcher Hopes to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening (Pg. 4) Story: How to Fix Huge Lack of Hispanics in Clinical Trials (Pg. 6) Story: Food Trucks—Healthy or Junk Food for Latinos (Pg. ...

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Study: South Texas Latinos Have Nation’s Highest Rate of Liver Cancer



Latinos in South Texas have the highest rate of liver cancer in the nation—a rate that continues to rise higher, according to a study from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. For the study, published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE, researchers compared the newest state and federal data to pinpoint current liver cancer rates and trends. They found that Texas Latino male and female incidence rates were 3.1 and 4 times higher than their non-Latino White counterparts, and South Texas Latinos had even higher rates. In addition, liver cancer incidence rates are rising across all groups. “This clearly shows that liver cancer is not only already higher among Latinos in South Texas, but it’s rising, too. We need ...

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Webinar 7/15/14: Why Cultural Competency is Vital to Population Health



You're invited to a webinar to explore cultural competency and population health. The webinar, set for 10 a.m. CST on Tuesday, July 15, 2014, is conducted by Redes En Acción, a national Latino cancer research network funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Dr. J. Emilio Carrillo, leader of Redes' northeast region and a researcher at the New York Weill Cornell Medical Center and the New York-Presbyterian Community Health Plan, will explore why cultural competency is a vital to the success of population health efforts. This patient-based, cross-cultural approach helps bridge cultural barriers in the care of individual patients by recognizing ...

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Spanish Video: Exploring Options for End-of-Life Care for Hispanics



Cal State Northridge has released a short Spanish-language documentary exploring options for end-of-life care, the Post-Periodical reports. The video, a project by Kyusuk “Stephan” Chung, an associate professor of health administration at Cal State Northridge, is about a dying patient in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease who turned to hospice care so she could spend her last days at home among loved ones. It is entirely in Spanish, designed to educate the Latino community, which may not know that end-of-life care options extend beyond putting a dying loved one in the hospital or family members struggling on their own to care for that person at home. “I have spent more than 10 years researching end-of-life care, and in particular hospice care,” said Chung, according ...

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Webinar 7/10/14: How to Help Latinas Avoid Potentially Deadly Delays in Breast Cancer Care



Imagine that a woman's mammogram turns up an abnormality that is classified as "probably benign." Even though the chance of breast cancer is only 2-4%, a doctor typically would ask the woman to return for another screening within six months, just to be sure. If that woman was a Latina, however, delays and anxiety occur, appointments are missed and Latinas may skip subsequent screenings altogether, potentially setting the stage for confirmatory diagnoses at more advanced stages of cancer with lower survival probability. How can that be avoided? You're invited to a webinar that explores how patient navigators—trained healthcare workers who support women and help them overcome barriers related to transportation, child care, insurance coverage, language, etc.—were able to reduce those ...

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Photovoice & Partnerships Bring PE to Latinas in New Britain, Conn.



Counselors at New Britain High School were concerned about the future of Latina teens who were not passing PE and risked not graduating. Fortunately, a local nonprofit taught a group of Latina teens how to take photos and use them to inspire action—a technique called photovoice. Their efforts helped unite the nonprofit, the New Britain YWCA, and New Britain High School, who together pushed to establish an after-school PE credit recovery program. Now, Latina girls are getting the physical education they need to lead a healthy lifestyle, and the ongoing collaboration between community organizations has led to the development of a new hub for health called The House of Teens (HOT). EMERGENCE Awareness/Learn: The 37% Latino town of New Britain, Conn., was struggling with obesity in 2007. ...

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What You Need to Know about Latinos & Alzheimer’s Disease



Elderly Latinos in the U.S. are 1.5 times more likely than their white peers to develop Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association. But not many know this. Given that the number of Latinos living in the U.S. with Alzheimer's is currently 200,00 and expected to rise to 1.3 million by 2050, this public health issue warrants attention. So, for Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month in June, Latina Magazine did a fascinating Q&A with Dr. Romina Rosen of Kaiser Permanente to get expert information on Alzheimer's, and how it affects not only the Latino patient, but caregivers, too. Rosen tackles important questions like: What are some of the early signs of this disease? And how early on does this start to take place before a ...

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Report: The Learning Connection, What You Need to Know to Ensure Your Kids Are Healthy & Ready to Learn



Healthy kids are better learners, according to the Action for Healthy Kid's Learning Connection report. In this report, you'll learn more about the positive impact that physical activity and healthy eating have on a child's ability to succeed in school. Access the report here. ...

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Food as Medicine: San Antonio Study Tests Disease- and Cancer-Fighting Foods



A group of breast cancer survivors gathered in San Antonio on Tuesday, June 17, 2014, to hear a lecture and cooking demonstration about how certain foods may reduce the risk of cancer recurrence — deliciously. The women are participants in the study Rx for Better Breast Health. As a part of the study, this group will attend several lectures by study co-principal investigator Dr. Michael Wargovich of the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, combined with cooking demonstrations by Chef Iverson Brownell, who creates innovative culinary recipes that taste great and promote health. Read or watch a WOAI-TV report about the event. To see if you qualify for the study, call 210-562-6579 “We want to teach survivors the importance of a dietary plan full of foods with ...

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