Since the start of coronavirus’ spread throughout the country, Latinos have lacked the resources to battle against widespread rates of infection, death. Soon, that community will have a voice on President-Elect Joe Biden’s recently announced COVID-19 Taskforce, which includes two Latinos — Dr. Luciana Borio, former assistant FDA commissioner, and Dr. Robert Rodriguez, a professor of emergency medicine at UCSF School of Medicine. This kind of representation is critical to combat the horrific experiences Latinos and other people of color have experienced during this epidemic, especially as winter arrives, said Dr. Leana Wen, the former Baltimore health commissioner. “[Biden’s] work needs to begin right now. He needs to begin communicating the urgency of actions with the ...
With the election of Joe Biden, we expect to see a lot of national policy and system changes under the new presidential administration next year. But, right now, lots of changes are already happening locally. That’s because, during the election on Nov. 3, 2020, voters in cities and states passed local propositions. These have wide-ranging implications for education, economic recovery, criminal justice reform, and more, especially for Latinos and other communities of color.
Education and the 2020 Election
Childhood education took a high priority in many cities. San Antonio, a predominately Latino city, was one of them. Voters approved a one-eighth-cent sales tax to continue funding Pre-K 4 SA, the city’s full-day public preschool program. “Pre-K 4 SA serves 2,000 ...
Food insecurity and health disparities disproportionately affect lower income communities and communities of color. These disparities are only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to healthy food should be a universal right. It’s clear that we must reevaluate how food retail currently works in our country. We must rebuild a more equitable and just system. We can work together to promote food equity in our communities and across the country. This tweetchat coincides with the new release of a National Research Agenda on healthy food retail, published as a Special Journal Issue. Join #SaludTues at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 17, 2020, to tweet about the importance of healthy food retail environments for advancing health equity. WHAT: #SaludTuesTweetchat: How a Healthy Food ...
The United States continues to see record-high rates of new coronavirus cases for a single day. The majority of those infected—a single-day record 144,000 new cases on Nov. 11 after a then-record 136,000 cases on Nov. 10 and 125,000 new cases on Nov. 6—come from the Latino community. Worse, that community has also experienced the pandemic’s harshest outcomes, including economic impacts, social upheaval, and, most significantly, mortality rates. The hard data, which illustrates the unthinkable disparities hurting people of color amid COVID-19, should aptly illustrate these problems, according to Dr. Rogelio Sáenz, a professor of demography at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “One thing is certain,” Sáenz writes in a recent piece for Poynter. “Americans of ...
8 million people are leaving the workforce to take care of elderly family members. These caregivers will enter an extremely high-stress situation. Latino caregivers may spend more hours a week meeting their sick relative’s needs, than caregivers from other ethnic groups. For National Family Caregivers Month in November, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, to tweet about how we can address the problems and solutions to help caregivers! WHAT: #SaludTues: Let's Celebrate Our Caregivers!
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST (Noon-1 p.m. CST), Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: @UsA2_Latinos, @DiverseElders, @VocesenSalud, @SAresearch, @AlzheimersLA, @Wellmedgives
Special Guest: Ernesto Quintero
...
As we reach the seventh month of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are pointing to a new cause in an uptick of cases: pandemic fatigue. “Pandemic fatigue refers to feeling overwhelmed with still having to maintain a state of constant vigilance, in this case six months after the pandemic started, and a weariness to abide by restrictions,” according to Gavi Vaccine Alliance. Understandably, people are tired of the daily inconveniences caused by avoiding the COVID-19 virus and want their lives to return to normal. However, if we fall complacent and begin disregarding guidance from public health officials, we take part in moral disengagement and it becomes more difficult for our communities to put an end to COVID-19. When we disengage morally from safety and virus prevention, ...
The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are a wonderful time to express your gratitude and share food with the people you love most in this world. However, the 2020 hits just keep coming. Family gatherings are still not safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC discourages in-person family gatherings for the holidays. Instead, you can safely deliver/swap traditional dishes to nearby familia, ship gifts, and use a video conference to stay connected. “It is the holidays, but it’s also a global pandemic. Safety has to be a priority over tradition,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Salud America! Latino health equity program at UT Health San Antonio. See our “Juntos, We Can Stop COVID-19” bilingual campaign to encourage you─juntos/together─ to do ...
By CDC Healthy Schools
Guest Blogger for Salud America! Even though parents are used to juggling multiple roles and responsibilities, 2020 has brought on challenges. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has particularly impacted Latinos, many parents are helping their children with virtual learning while also balancing responsibilities at work and at home. If one of your new responsibilities is making sure your student is set up for success with breakfast and lunch, but you are stressed over buying groceries and making nutritious meals during the school day, there are solutions! The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing free school meals for all kids younger than 18 years during the entire 2020-2021 school year through June 20, 2021. USDA previously ...
Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is the annual holiday where we honor our loved ones who have passed away. This year, Día de los Muertos is celebrated Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. During Día de los Muertos, Latino families gather to remember relatives who have died and often honor their memory by preparing the relative’s favorite foods and building ofrendas, or alters, decorated with candles, flowers, and photographs of those who passed. While a typical Día de Los Muertos celebration calls for parades with large gatherings of singing and dancing, this year it will look different.
Latinos and COVID-19
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means many cancelled celebrations or virtual gatherings. But it also means a greater loss in the Latino community. The COVID-19 ...
