Mental health inequities are a key problem that many Latinos face in their overall health care. In California (38.18% Latino population), steps have been taken to help alleviate some of these problems with the passing of a new law that will take effect on January 1, 2017. In past years, many health centers in rural parts of the state were unable to bill Medi-Cal, the government health program for low-income Californians, for services; the new law reverses that decision. Without proper treatment, mental health conditions can worsen and make day-to-day life hard. Latinos are less likely to seek mental health treatment. A 2001 Surgeon General’s report found that only 20% of Latinos with symptoms of a psychological disorder talk to a doctor about their concerns. Only 10% contact a mental ...
Despite historic reductions reported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are still over 42 million people in the country who are classified as food insecure. Of this number, over 13 million were children. Latinos, single-parent households, and households in rural communities are among those with the highest rates of food insecurity, the Huffington Post reports. The USDA defines food insecurity as those households that are “uncertain of having, or are unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all their members.” This situation can be due to a variety of reasons, including having insufficient money or resources to obtain food, such as a loss of income or medical hardships. Households with children are disproportionately affected by food ...
A new bill supporting urban agriculture in Michigan (5% Latino) will open up doors for new economic opportunities and create new ways to increase access to healthy foods. The Urban Agriculture Acto of 2016, announced by Michigan Senator Stabenow will allow more support for urban farmers with new financial tools, support for research, and allow for healthy food to be grown in community gardens and neighborhood farms. “Urban agriculture is steadily growing in cities and towns across Michigan and across our country, creating new economic opportunities and safer, healthier environments,” Senator Stabenow told the local press. “The Urban Agriculture Act will continue this momentum by helping urban farmers get started or expand their business, so they can sell more products and ...
In the rural areas of the western United States, a growing population is becoming more and more vulnerable due to an increasing lack of quality healthcare. The elderly, disabled, and uninsured (Latinos represent the largest uninsured population in the U.S.) in these areas are facing a growing crisis. These individuals are farther from healthcare and are often more vulnerable during emergencies, such as heart attacks, severe lacerations, or strokes, reported High Country News.
// Delta County in western Colorado (14.45% Latino population) is an example cited of an area with serious problems. Since 2010, the number of residents aged 65 or older has jumped 19%; however the patient-to-doctor ratio is more than 1,300 to one. In extreme examples, some Western counties have had their ...
In the rural Columbia Gorge region of Oregon and Washington, collaboration has truly been the key to elevating the culture of health of everyone in the area. This vast area is larger than the state of Connecticut, however only 75,000 people live in this extreme environment. While many high-tech companies have moved into new the riverfront properties in Washington (11.74% Latino population) and Oregon (12.15% Latino population), many in remote areas live in poverty and the nearest medical care is over an hour’s drive away. Orchards in the region produce bounties of pears, apples, and cherries and yet 1 in 5 people are food insecure on a regular basis. To bridge these disparities, the people of the Columbia Gorge region have turned an “ordinary requirement” into an extraordinary ...
A new analysis of federal data details the serious and widespread problem of chronic absenteeism in public schools. It has long been a belief that skipping one or two days of school in a month has little impact on a student’s academic success has been proven statically incorrect. According to the new study entitled “Preventing Missed Opportunity,” missing just two days in a month can “expose kids to a cascade of academic setbacks,” ranging from lower reading and math scores in third grade to higher risks of dropping out of high school. The data studied showed that the problem of chronic absenteeism was both widespread and concentrated. More than 6 million students were found to be chronically absent and half attended just 4% of the nation’s school districts and only 12% ...
According to a new study from the Columbia University Medical Center, most Americans – including a majority of Latinos – who screen positive for depression don’t receive treatment for it. Also, many who do receive treatment, don’t appear to have the disorder. “Over the last several years there has been an increase in prescription of antidepressants,” said Mark Olfson, lead author of the study. “In that context, many people assumed that undertreatment of depression is no longer a common problem.” Olfson found the opposite was true after analyzing the data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys in 2012 and 2013. Asked if they had been screened for adults, 8.4% of the more than 46,000 adults answered in ways suggested they had depression. Only 28.7% who appeared ...
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) has committed nearly $31 million over the next five years toward launching a new program for “Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers (TCCs)” that will research health disparities and explore the potential for precision medicine to promote health equity for minorities. “Ultimately, the TCCs will generate new knowledge about precision medicine that resonates from the community level to the national population level,” said Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, Director of the NIMHD. Although many scientific and technological advances have improved the overall health of the U.S., several racial/ethnic minority, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and rural populations continue to experience a disproportionate share of ...
Several barriers affect Latinos when it comes to accessing quality health care. Finances, communication, and transportation are three of the most prevalent issues. In North Carolina, these issues, especially communication, are especially acute. Latinos who do not speak English often have to pay extra in rural areas of North Carolina to have a translator with them at their doctor’ “Probably one of the biggest problems [at the Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry (GHCCM)] is communication,” said Sue Troutman, a registered nurse at GHCCM. “If they don’t speak good English, they miss things. Sometimes they don’t know what’s available and that’s partially to the translation barrier.” Even when translators are on staff, the possibility exists that something is ...
