Willie Heard is a man of faith. His faith stood strong even after he got tragic news in September 2013. Heard was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of bone marrow cancers in which the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells. His cancer diagnosis came just months after retiring from his job at USAA and just shy of his 67th birthday. “I’m a religious person and a minister and, I think I remember telling the doctor, I said, ‘Doctor you do what you do, I’m gonna let God do what he does,’” said Heard, a resident of San Antonio, Texas. “[The cancer diagnosis] was a surprise to me, but I’ve always been a person that don’t really worry about stuff I can’t control, so I don’t let that bother me.”
Heard’s Decision to ...
Thanks to vaccinations, antibiotics, and medical treatment, death from infectious disease has declined drastically among children in high-income countries. But violent death is a serious threat to children in the United States. Here, guns and traffic crashes are the top killers of youth aged 1-19. Worse, these violent child deaths have increased in recent years. We can’t explain away all traffic crashes on individual behavior. We also can’t explain away all firearm incidents on individual behavior. These are systemic problems that require systemic solutions. Salud America! is exploring the scope of violent child death as part of its four-part series on public health approaches to addressing child deaths from guns and traffic crashes.
The State of Child Traffic ...
Latinos and other minority groups are disproportionately contracting the monkeypox virus, according to a recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The monkeypox virus, which began infecting Americans in May 2022, has since been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization and a public health emergency by the Biden-Harris Administration. As of August 12, 2022 there are 10,768 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the US.
Monkeypox Cases by Race/Ethnicity
99% of monkeypox cases are occurring in men. Of those, 94% of men report male-to-male sexual or close intimate contact within three weeks before experiencing symptoms. 41% of monkeypox cases were among Whites, 28% among Latinos, and 26% among Blacks, according to the CDC ...
More than 16,000 concerned Americans sent public comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) urging them to make changes to their vehicle safety rating system, known as the New Car Assessment Program. Many organizations, such as the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), America Walks, and Families for Safe Streets enabled their members to submit comments. Our team at Salud America! also developed a model comment asking NHTSA for a vehicle rating system that accurately reflects the dangers vehicles pose to pedestrians, bikers, and others outside the vehicle. After all, more Americans died in motor vehicle crashes in 2021 than any other year since 2005, and the growing size and weight of vehicles is a contributor. “Driving ...
Driving is a daily danger to American life. And it is getting more dangerous. More Americans died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2021 than any other year since 2005, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Additionally, pedestrian fatalities are up 13% and bicyclist fatalities are up 5% compared to 2020. These are lower rates than the European Union, which has seen traffic fatalities decrease since 2019. What is happening on American roads? Are drivers becoming worse? Are the sizing size of SUVs and passenger trucks – “megacars” – responsible? What about vehicle and road safety? Let’s explore the facts to find an answer.
Drivers and Traffic Fatalities
U.S. traffic fatality rate rose 10.5% from 2020 to 2021, a year after rising ...
Por Tatiana Holanda
Sobreviviente de cáncer brasileña en San Antonio No veo al cáncer como un oponente "Lo veo como un maestro". Esa es la frase que resume mi historia. A la edad de 33 años, luego de los exámenes, se detectó un bulto en la mama izquierda de 2 cm, en el examen de ultrasonido se clasificó como Birads 4 con indicación de biopsia. En junio de 2019, con el resultado en la mano, se confirmó que tenía cáncer de mama triple negativo. Al principio, desesperación, luego angustia y ansiedad. Hubo 40 días de espera entre el diagnóstico y el inicio del tratamiento. Tuve que sacar fuerzas de algún lado, en ese momento mi hijo Rafael tenía 1 año. Cuando descubrí la enfermedad, pensé: tanto le pedí a Dios un hijo y ¿qué voy a hacer ahora frente al ...
Latinos are a dynamic, diverse, rising population. But cancer threatens the future health of the U.S. Latino population. This is why our Salud America! team at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio created a new video, "Latino Cancer: ¿Sabía Usted? (Did You Know?)," to describe the state of Latino cancer disparities and highlight the inequities behind them. The video debuted at the 2022 Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conference. "The conference helped focus on a key underlying issue – health equity. Health equity is where everyone has a fair, just opportunity to be their healthiest," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of the conference and director of Salud America! and the IHPR. "True change starts when we focus on solving ...
32.1% of Latinos are physically inactive outside of work, putting them in danger of health issues from obesity to cancer, according to a new report from CDC. This is the highest percentage of inactivity among racial/ethnic groups. The disparity is largely due to structural barriers like lack of access to safe and convenient places to exercise, according to the report. “Reducing physical inactivity requires a comprehensive effort from many groups—including states, communities, worksites, and individuals—to make it easier for everyone to move more,” according to the CDC report. Learn more about the data on physical activity, reasons why Latinos have higher rates of inactivity, and what can be done to make physical activity more equitable and accessible for Latinos and ...
In November 2021, Congress passed the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to rebuild roads, expand access to clean drinking water and high-speed internet, and tackle climate change — with priority investments in Latino and other often left-behind communities. Although this bill adds new money to fix some transportation problems, it pours hundreds of billions into the same old highway programs that perpetuate those problems, like auto-dependence and dangerous roads. “Today’s transportation system works extraordinarily well for its original intended purpose, to build a national highway system, but fails to meet the climate, economic recovery, equity, and safety challenges of the present day,” according to the National Association of City ...
