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 ...
Heart disease risk is high for U.S. Latinos, data shows. While most Latinos were aware of their cardiovascular risk factors, less than half of the adults in a study of stroke survivors had healthy blood pressure and cholesterol, and only half had healthy blood sugar levels, according to the American Heart Association. “Hispanic adults are more likely than white adults to develop heart failure. But Hispanic adults living with heart failure are less likely to get appropriate care and treatment than white adults living with heart failure,” according to a Close the Gap resource. This emphasizes the importance of targeted prevention programs and culturally relevant resources for Latinos to avoid stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular diseases. That’s where Close the ...
In 2020, COVID-19 shut down the world.
People were forced to navigate social isolation, food shortages, business closures, virtual schooling, reduced work hours, and job loss amid the pandemic.
Latino families suffered from some of the highest rates of COVID-related mortality and socioeconomic impacts, worsening Latino health inequities.
With 2020 now several years past, how bad was the pandemic for Latinos?
6 in 10 (62%) Latino households with children experienced at least one material hardship in the form of housing quality, bill-paying, food insecurity, and/or medical hardship in 2020, according to a new report from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families that looks back at the impact of COVID-19 on Latinos. Material Hardship in 2020 amid COVID-19 ...
Facing homelessness and battling PTSD, trauma, and disability, US Navy veteran Olivia Zavala Carridine was struggling. She found a lifeline in Grace After Fire. Olivia, a mother of four in San Antonio, got pivotal support from the women veteran’s organization – which aims to provide women the resources and tools to succeed in her community, work, and home after leaving the military. “[Grace After Fire] has empowered me to believe that I shouldn't be ashamed of my story,” she said. “I have a sisterhood with women that I didn't have many times with my sisters serving alongside me.” Olivia got back on her feet with the help of Grace After Fire – and she’s not the only one.
Grace After Fire Origins
Some wars take place on a battlefield, standing toe ...
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? ...
Over the last several years, cities across the US have taxed sugary drinks to reduce the consumption of these beverages and prioritize the health of their communities. In 2018, Seattle joined this wave of cities in placing a tax on sugary drinks. At 1.75 cents per ounce, the tax was created to disincentivize the consumption and purchase of sugary drinks and improve community health. But did it work? A recent study published on the JAMA Network sought to answer this very question by comparing the health of children within the taxable area to those in neighboring areas. This is what they found.
Sugary Drink Tax Studies
Studying the relationship between the sugary drink tax and health is nothing new. In fact, previous studies on taxes have pointed to a ...
One in four U.S. adults were living with a mental health condition as of last year — that’s nearly 60 million people, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Many questions remain about the rise of mental health issues. That's why the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program has taken a special interest in mental health. As part of the program’s mission to collect the health data of over 1 million Americans, the All of Us Research Program is learning more about the mental health backgrounds of participants, which could advance mental health research. When signing up for the program, participants fill out mental health surveys. Through these surveys researchers can study early mental illness risk ...
With heat reaching record-breaking numbers every summer in some states, evidence points to our climate changing. For instance, Florida saw its hottest year on record since 1895 when the surface temperatures reached 177 degrees in places. Heat indices rose to triple digits multiple days in a row in Texas, making 2023 the second-hottest summer on record. In the wake of extreme heat, weather experts have advised people to limit their time outside when the sun is out, especially for the population’s most vulnerable people like seniors and children. But what about those who can’t escape the heat? Despite the weather, outdoor workers are braving the elements to provide a valuable service to support their families. Many of these workers are Latino. While ...
Latinos make up 18% of the American workforce and are the fastest growing working population in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. However, there is a lack of Latino representation in corporate leadership, and few occupy high paying jobs in lucrative industries like engineering, technology, and science.
Due to systemic inequities stemming from generations of racism and oppression, many Latinos work labor-intensive jobs in industries such as agriculture, building and ground maintenance, and construction.
These jobs are more physically demanding, putting stress on the body, and are performed outdoors, where workers are exposed to the elements and pollution.
Working these jobs can endanger the health and safety of employees.
Latino workers die on the job more than ...
