The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for healthcare workers to have easy-to-use, informative, bilingual tools on infection control practices in the healthcare setting. With this in mind, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched Project Firstline, a training and education collaborative designed to ensure all healthcare workers, no matter their role or educational background, have the infection control knowledge and understanding they need and deserve to protect themselves, patients, and coworkers. As part of Project Firstline, Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio and the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) is bringing you a Salud Talks Podcast series, “Behind the Mask,” to explore infection control in healthcare. In this special ...
August is National Breastfeeding Month, a time to celebrate and support breastfeeding families, highlight the benefits of breastfeeding, and provide resources and help to mothers. Why is this important? Research shows that breastfed babies have lower risks of asthma, childhood leukemia, childhood obesity, ear infections, and more. Mothers who breastfeed also have lower risk of type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and certain types of breast cancer. “Breastfeeding has many health benefits for infants, children, and mothers and is a key strategy to improve public health,” according to the CDC. Let’s explore tools and resources that can help mothers and families with breastfeeding.
1. U.S. Breastfeeding Committee
Many mothers, especially Latinas, face many barriers to ...
Does your town have a farmers market? Farmers markets are a path to healthy food access. They are especially important amid the push for nutrition security and racial/ethnic justice. Fortunately, the Farmers Market Coalition is stepping up to support farmers markets. They’re supporting markets, creating an anti-racist toolkit, and sharing how markets increase equitable access to healthy, fresh produce and social connections, and engage farmers in the local economy. "As hubs for connection and community resilience, farmers markets have particularly risen to the occasion this year by providing a necessary sense of unity and stability during a time of great uncertainty," according to the coalition. "Farmers markets don’t just happen. The hard work of farmers market operators ...
Latinos now make up 19.5% of the US population. Counties in California, Florida, and Texas are home to some of the largest Latino communities in the nation. However, a recent Axios analysis found that poverty rates are also higher within many of these areas. US Census Bureau 2022 5-year estimates show that 10 of the largest Latino communities have a poverty rate that’s 50% higher than the national average (12.5%). Let’s break down the numbers and how they relate to the health equity of Latinos.
Analysis Findings on Poverty
Axios conducted an analysis of 10 census-designated places that had at least 100,000 residents with a high percentage of Latinos. Based on the collective data, the outlet determined that the average rate of poverty for Latinos in these ...
Latinos make up 19.5% of the US population, which equates to 65 million people. As of 2023, about 75% of Latinos living in the US speak Spanish, 17% speak English, and over half (54%) of the Latino population in the US fall somewhere on the bilingual spectrum. Despite Spanish being the second-most spoken language in the US, a new report by the Pew Research Center found that found that 54% Latino adults get their news in English. Let’s explore the news media habits of US Latinos further.
Latino News Consumption by Language
While 54% of US adult Latinos receive news in English, the rest consume news in mostly Spanish (21%) or in both languages (23%), according to the report. When it comes to preferability, 51% of Latino adults prefer news in English, 24% ...
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that ensures children and adults have access to nutritious meals and snacks by providing reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers. Additionally, the CACFP provides reimbursements for meals served to children and youth participating in afterschool care programs, children residing in emergency shelters, and adults older than 60 or living with a disability and enrolled in day care facilities. The National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) provides support and resources for the community and others that administer, organize, and participate in nutrition programs. The CACFP provides Spanish-language resources through the NCA ...
Latinos continue to be one of the fastest growing populations in the US. Between 2022 and 2023, Latinos accounted for 71% of the population growth in the US, according to new data from the US Census Bureau. Latinos now make up 19.5% of the country’s population. The rise, occurring at an annual growth of 1.8% and attributed to a large number of births, makes Latinos the second largest racial/ethnic group in the US. Let’s unpack some of the statistics and what they mean for the future of Latinos.
US Latino Population Growth
In 2023, the Latino population grew by 1.16 million for a total of 65 million. Latinos contributed significantly to the overall population growth in the US, which increased by 1.64 million. “The Hispanic population is ...
As COVID-19 exposed cracks in our healthcare system and racial/ethnic health inequities, community health workers rose to the challenge to educate communities on virus prevention, dispel misinformation, and advocate for the vaccine. Community health workers – called promotoras in Latino communities – are non-medical public health workers who connect people to healthcare and social services. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) is seeking public comments on the use of community health workers to increase “cultural competency in educational campaigns on public health vaccines and prevention, including but not limited to influenza and COVID-19.” Submit this Salud America! model comment to tell HHS about the importance ...
Federal regulators recently published a final rule to expand healthcare for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and certain other noncitizens. The rule – which modifies the definition of “lawfully present” – essentially opens enrollment in the healthcare marketplace to those in the DACA program, many of whom are Latinos. The ruling will take effect on Nov. 1, 2024. Salud America! members were among 530 people who submitted a public comment last year to support this expansion of healthcare access to DACA recipients. “This overdue step is a critical victory for equitable access to health care,” according to the National Immigration Law Center. Let’s dive further into what this ruling means and how it will impact Latinos.
What is DACA? ...
