Access to and treatment for mental health issues is has long been a problem for many Latinos. According to a recent study, one in five Americans is believed to have a mental health condition at any given time. However, Latinos receive a lot less psychiatric care overall, including visits to psychiatrists, social workers, and psychologists. In an effort to combat the growing trend of a lack of access, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has awarded more than $44 million to increase the number of mental health providers and substance abuse counselors across the country. A recent announcement from HHS touted that the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) would be funding 144 ...
For the ninth year in a row, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has announced the restaurant winners of its Xtreme Eating Awards. Restaurants with high-calorie dishes are "honored" by CSPI and this year's winners are: Uno Pizzeria & Grill - Whole Hog Burger Hamburger, sausage, bacon, prosciutto, pepperoni, four types of cheese, garlic mayo, and pickles with fries and onion rings. Calories: 2,850 Saturated Fat: 62 g (3 day’s worth) Sodium: 9,790 mg (6 day’s worth) Equivalent to eating: Four McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with Cheese and two medium French fries, doused with 18 packets of salt. Cheesecake Factory - Fried Chicken & Waffles Benedict Belgian waffle topped with fried chicken, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce with ...
The Texas Transportation Commission recently awarded more than $75 million in funds (state and federal) to transit providers that provide services to the state’s veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and those who need assistance getting to work, school, healthcare facilities, and other important destinations. “Independence and quality of life for our state’s public transit users will be enhanced through this funding,” said Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Executive Director James Bass. “We are grateful for the collaboration with our partners around the state who ultimately are helping us provide meaningful transportation solutions for Texans.” Latinos currently make up 38.4% of the total population of Texas. The transit agencies supported by these new ...
The University Health System has been awarded nearly $1 million in federal funds to increase the number of children in Bexar County, Texas (59% Latino population) that are enrolling in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, close to 10% of Bexar County’s children are uninsured, a significant improvement from 2009 when the rate of uninsured children was 14%. However, in some census tracks, according to a report by the San Antonio Express-News, the uninsured rate reaches as high as 40% “There are still a number of barriers to obtaining coverage,” said Dr. Roberto Villarreal, University Health System’s senior vice president of research and information in an interview with the Express-News. “Most families are aware ...
Spreading the word about how to improve Latino health is a dire need. That’s why we at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio created our SaludToday blog and social media campaign. We recently won two Web Health Awards for our digital efforts to raise awareness for Latino health from the Health Information Resource Center, which gives awards twice annually for online health information. We earned “merit” awards for our Youtube page, and “bronze” award for our Twitter page. Please help us continue to raise awareness of Latino health issues and solutions by following us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and ...
Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Sylvia M. Burwell, announced over $260 million in funding awarded to 290 health centers in 45 states across the country. The funds will be used for renovation, construction, or expansion. “Health centers are cornerstones of the communities they serve,” said Secretary Burwell. “[These] awards will empower health centers to build more capacity and provide needed health care to hundreds of thousands of additional individuals and their families.” The goal is for health centers to utilize these funds to increase their patient capacity and provide additional comprehensive primary and preventive health services “to medically underserved populations.” The new and/or renovated centers are expected to ...
Spreading the word about how to improve Latino health is a dire need. That’s why Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez and her team at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio created Salud America!, formerly called the SaludToday blog and social media campaign. Our efforts recently were recognized with four Communicator Awards. We won “silver” in the content and marketing category and “silver” in the activism, writing and website categories Please help us continue to raise awareness of Latino health issues and solutions by following us @SaludAmerica on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and ...
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $5.1 million grant to two graduate university programs in an effort to increase the number of Latino professors in the humanities programs at American colleges and universities. New York University and the University of Pennsylvania will partner on the program entitled “Pathways to Professoriate,” which seeks to prepare 90 students from Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for Ph.D. programs over the next five years. “As the demographic profile of the U.S. changes, the country has a compelling interest in obtaining the full participation of previously underrepresented communities,” said Mariët Westermann, Vice President of the Mellon Foundation. “The past decade has seen considerable gains in doctoral degree attainment for ...
Fresh food is the option for schools across the school district of Cabell County, in W. Va. The schools food services were nationally recognized for their use of healthier school meals prepared from scratch. All schools in the district received the USDA Healthier U.S. School Challenge Silver Award. Many of the students have been able to benefit from the free meals program in the county and benefit from the freshly prepared foods. Studies show that school policies that reduce access to unhealthy food and drinks can reduce Latino students' consumption and positively impact weight. To learn more about this change, click ...
