In one of America’s most populated Latino cities, some people of color are disinclined to get a COVID-19 vaccine. This hesitation comes in spite of the heavy toll coronavirus has taken on Latinos in this metropolitan area — as well as across the country. Public Health experts—such as Dr. Amelie Ramirez, the director of UT Health San Antonio’s Institute for Health Promotion Research and Salud America!—believe that the best way to solve this problem is community-oriented communication. “I feel that the messenger really needs to be the individual who lives, works and worships in the community with them,” Ramirez told Laura Garcia of the San Antonio Express-News.
COVID-19 Vaccinations in San Antonio
Countless lives are saved because of vaccines, which are rigorously ...
Stress can happen for many reasons. Abuse. Discrimination. Poverty. But when the human body’s response to stressful situations is activated too frequently or intensely without supportive relationships, stress becomes more than “just stress.” It becomes “toxic stress.” And toxic stress can harm your brain, body, and behavior, and increase lifelong risk for disease, especially for Latinos and other people of color. Fortunately, we can address and even prevent toxic stress. The new Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health is the nation’s first guide to address toxic stress by cutting a main cause─adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)─in half in a generation. We at Salud ...
As we fight the COVID-19 pandemic, we have to make sure we’ve got all the right facts. Public health experts are seeing a lot of misinformation about COVID-19 spread on social media. Whether conspiracy theories or jokes about side effects, experts are concerned about the implications it could have. Misinformation could especially hurt Latinos, who are being disproportionately hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic and have shown hesitancy about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. “It’s the repetition [of misinformation] that worries me,” said Eveyln Pérez-Verdía, a strategist who tracks Spanish disinformation, according to NBC News. "People are seeing this constantly.” What is some of the misinformation being spread about COVID-19? Let’s check the myths and facts. UPDATE ...
Immigration is difficult and often traumatic. People who immigrate to the U.S. often face a dangerous journey only to be met with aggression and xenophobia at the border. It can lead to loss of hope, anxiety, depression, and even suicide. Cheryl Aguilar wants to help families experiencing the trauma of immigration and adjusting to new life in the U.S. Aguilar immigrated from Honduras as a teenager, an experience that helped guide her to give back to immigrant communities. Aguilar is a clinical social worker and founding director and therapist at the Hope Center for Wellness. “As a therapist, one of the things that I do is help individuals, families, and communities heal from whatever distress, trauma, or experiences they might have encountered. I believe in holistic healing, ...
Alzheimer’s disease is an illness that affects the lives of many, and it impacts some Americans more than others. In fact, studies show that U.S. Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than their White peers. That number is only going to get worse over time if dedicated action isn't taken. The number of Latinos living with Alzheimer’s is projected to grow from 430,000 in 2014 to 3.2 million in 2060. That is more than an alarming seven-fold increase. Yet Latinos are underrepresented in clinical research across the board. Fortunately, Texas officials and researchers are working on this issue.
How Big a Problem is Alzheimer's Disease in Texas and Among Latinos?
The problem is huge in Texas, according to the experts. "In Texas in 2019 alone, 1650 ...
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. Each year, more than 13,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States. This cancer is hurting communities of color, with Latinas being at a high risk of being diagnosed. But cervical cancer is preventable. Stopping cervical cancer for all communities means education about the causes, prevention, and treatment of HPV and cervical cancer. Join #SaludTues on Jan. 19, 2021, at 1:00 PM EST to tweet about what we can do to stop cervical cancer. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “What Can We Do to Stop Cervical Cancer?”
DATE: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2020
TIME: 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST (10:00-11:00 p.m. PST)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: Cervivor (@IamCervivor), ...
By choosing to not smoke indoors, a smoker deserves a thank-you for protecting their family, friends, and neighbors from secondhand smoke. That’s why the new “Mil Gracias (A Thousands Thanks) for Not Smoking Indoors!” campaign from UT Health San Antonio is inviting people share gratitude for smokers who respect others’ air during the COVID-19 respiratory pandemic: Email a “thank you” to smokers who protect others by not smoking indoors.
Sign a letter acknowledging secondhand smoke's danger to health.
Download an Action Pack to promote smoke-free multifamily housing in your city. The Mil Gracias campaign features English and Spanish flyers with key messages to help people reduce their risk for smoking-related diseases and COVID-19. “Smokers have the power ...
More and more Californians are working toward a tobaccoless future. In the city of Crescent City, Calif., residents will no longer be able to smoke in multi-unit housing. A new ordinance, recently passed by the City Council, aims to reduce the harmful toxins non-smokers face when facing secondhand smoke inside their apartments or condos. The city joins a list of over 60 other California cities with similar policies. Secondhand smoke is linked to cancer and heart disease. There is even data to suggest that some forms of exposure are more harmful than other, such as sidestream exposure — a mix of mainstream smoke, the smoke exhaled out by a smoker, and sidestream smoke from the burning tobacco product. “[Sidestream] smoke has higher concentrations of cancer-causing agents ...
7,492 people—including members of Salud America!—submitted public comments to address concerns over a USDA proposal to weaken school food nutrition standards. The proposal, brought forth on Nov. 25, 2020, would allow flavored, low-fat milk, cut whole grain-rich servings in half, and ease restrictions on sodium to enable nutrition directors more time to meet sodium reduction targets. The proposal was open for public comment from Nov. 25 to Dec. 28, 2020. A federal advisory committee will consider the public comments and release a finalized version of the rule in spring 2021, according to the School Nutrition Association. "For the health of Latino and all children, I urge the USDA to preserve strong nutrition standards for meals served in schools. Providing 'flexibility' by ...
