A new study led by researchers at Case Western Reserve University found that people with dementia are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. People with dementia were also more likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19 than those without dementia. The study is one of the largest studies on COVID-19 and dementia, examining millions of medical records in the U.S. to draw conclusions. Researchers found that people of color with dementia were more likely to contract COVID-19 than white people with dementia, likely due to the disproportionate burden that communities of color have faced throughout the pandemic. However, the study mostly analyzed Black people with dementia compared to white people, highlighting the need to increase Latino participation in dementia ...
The child welfare system plays a critical role in identifying, investigating, and intervening to protect children facing abuse and neglect. However, the child welfare system traditionally isn’t as focused on preventing abuse and neglect. Because abuse and neglect are among the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) associated with toxic stress and some of the most common and serious health and social conditions, the social services sector is needed to help prevent these experiences before they occur. That’s why, in December 2020, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris released her Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health. She, along with numerous health and child welfare professionals, wants to engage a ...
More Americans have died from a drug overdose in the last 12 months than at any other point in history. New research has found a historical 21% spike in drug overdose deaths amid COVID-19. This data comes during a pandemic that has disproportionately affected Latinos — moreover, it's worsening already harsh historical inequities this group faces. One of those disparities is a higher rate of drug use among people of color. “Unfortunately, opioid-related deaths have reversed the trend we saw in 2018 and 2019, and COVID-19 is largely responsible,” Steven J. Martin, the dean and a professor at Ohio Northern University Rudolph H. Raabe College of Pharmacy, told General Surgery News. “All health care professionals should provide basic screening for persons suffering from drug ...
As the coronavirus continues to surge across the US, Latinos are also still enduring its worst impacts. While there was a notable lack of support from officials in Washington over the last year, many businesses, as well as their leaders, have stepped in to help those in need. Through charitable donations, some Latinos throughout the country are finally getting the assistance they deserve. This assistance has been a long time coming, according to San Francisco’s Latino Community Foundation (LCF) Vice President of Programs, Masha Chernyak — whose organization will pay forward a $2 million dollar donation to specifically provide support to Latinos. "We have taken that incredible American generosity and given it to a community that has been locked out of philanthropic resources," ...
We know that COVID-19 can impact anyone. But some people are more likely to be infected based on their jobs, living situations, and health conditions. One of those groups is people with disabilities. People with disabilities are highly impacted by COVID-19. Latinos with disabilities are at even higher of a risk. Advocates are asking state health departments to prioritize people with disabilities to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but most states are keeping the initial phases to people over 65, regardless of chronic illness. How are people with disabilities affected by COVID-19 and how can we advocate for equity?
How are People with Disabilities Impacted During COVID-19?
One way that people with disabilities are impacted by COVID-19 is through potential exposure from home care ...
As healthcare providers and medical institutions move forward with COVID-19 vaccine distribution, vaccine hesitancy continues to be an issue. Public acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine is important because it’s the safest and best way to reach herd immunity and end the pandemic once and for all. Unfortunately, that will only happen once at least 75 to 85% of the population is vaccinated and immune, according to experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert. Vaccine hesitancy is especially prevalent in communities of color, like Latino and Black communities, who may be distrustful of the government and the process behind the vaccine. What are ways that we can build trust among these communities and address vaccine hesitancy? Let’s take a ...
Exposure to domestic violence and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can trigger the toxic stress response for a long time, disrupting brain and body development and contributing to some of the most serious health conditions facing our society. Public health can help prevent, detect, and mitigate toxic stress. That’s why Dr. Nadine Burke Harris’ recent Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health calls on public health leaders to address ACEs and toxic stress among Latinos and all people. “The public health field plays an important role in ensuring that communities have healthy environments that support healthy behaviors and reduce risk of harmful exposures,” Burke Harris’ roadmap ...
Chronic liver disease can wreak havoc on the body, especially when there is a viral illness spreading worldwide. People suffering from Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) are roughly three times as likely to die from coronavirus than those who did not suffer from any liver disease, according to a recent study done at Sheba Medical Center. "It's possible that the coronavirus damages the liver similarly to the way in which it attacks the lungs," Professor Ziv Ben Ari, head of the Center for Liver Diseases at Sheba Medical Center, told The Jerusalem Post. "It is also possible that the damage to the liver is done by the medicine given to the patient to treat COVID-19 or an immunological reaction caused by the virus, which causes a Cytokine storm, which causes a liver ...
There is a common health condition with serious medical consequences that has not been nationally recognized by the medical or public health community—toxic stress response. Toxic stress is the body’s response to prolonged trauma─like abuse or discrimination─with no support. It can harm lifelong mental, physical, and behavioral health, especially for Latinos and others of color. But few, if any, clinical treatment guidelines have strategies for mitigating the toxic stress response. That’s why Dr. Nadine Burke Harris’ Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health wants California and others to recognize and respond to toxic stress as a health condition with clinical implications. “We ...
