Many healthcare facilities require healthcare staff to complete regular sensitivity trainings on cultural competency, bedside manner, and similar topics. These trainings can help providers deliver compassionate care for diverse patients. But, as more healthcare systems go the extra mile to create a social determinants of health (SDoH) screening program to care for patients’ non-medical social needs, staff may need additional resources to guide conversations that are often deeply personal for some patients. Here’s how healthcare staff can build rapport with patients and gain confidence in discussing social needs, from housing to income.
Put Yourself in the Patient’s Shoes
Think about your patient’s demographics. What non-medical barriers to health do they face? What ...
Childhood is a critical period for the development of eating behaviors and habits that last into adulthood. These habits play a vital role in growth, development, and the prevention of obesity and other lifelong, diet-related chronic diseases. Children who live in food deserts and lack access to nutritional food, such as many Latinos, may struggle more with maintaining a healthy weight and developing healthy eating patterns. That’s where Healthy Eating Research (HER) resources can help.
One Stop Shop for All Your Healthy Eating Habits
HER has produced evidence-based recommendations and best practices for promoting healthy eating behaviors in children ages 2 to 8. This site has excellent resources for Spanish-speaking parents, who may lack access to nutritional guidance due ...
Implications of the lack of quality maternal healthcare in the United States are well documented. Pre-term birth rates are rising, maternal mental health is suffering, and maternal mortality remains high, especially in women of color. Women living in rural areas are hit even harder by these implications, as indicated by a new March of Dimes report on maternity care deserts. Let’s explore just how much living in a rural area matters when it comes to maternal health, and how we can work to improve maternity care in underserved rural areas.
Maternity Care Deserts in Rural Texas Counties
Maternity care deserts make up 36% of all US counties, according a 2022 March of Dimes report. These maternity care deserts contribute to the US having the highest maternal mortality rate ...
Young Latinos face many barriers when it comes to mental health support and resources. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has highlighted ongoing projects and resources that contribute to decreasing the disparities that plague the Latino youth mental health crisis. “Evidence indicates that Hispanic and Latino youth have pressing mental health needs and are not receiving adequate mental health care,” according to Dr. Joshua A. Gordon, NIMH director, in a blog. Let’s explore the Latino youth mental health crisis and what resources can help.
Latino Youth Mental Health
The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected youth from minority communities and worsened the disparities experienced by these communities. Factors like discrimination, ...
The drive to Guadalupe Clinic from rural Coffeyville, Kansas, was just over two hours, but it felt like a lifetime for the Pascual family. As their older vehicle putted along the back roads, the Pascuals anxiously awaited much-needed medical care. With no health insurance and limited income, getting basic healthcare was a constant struggle. Finally, the family’s car turned onto St. Francis Street in downtown Wichita, Kansas. Their destination was nestled between two scrap metal yards and surrounded by railroads and small housing lots. Pulling into the parking lot, the Pascuals breathed a sigh of relief. They had safely reached the Guadalupe Clinic and were welcomed with open arms – no questions asked. For families like the Pascuals, Guadalupe Clinic in Wichita, ...
Latinas suffer a high burden of cervical cancer, which is often caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). In fact, Latinas have the second-highest rate of dying from cervical cancer after Black women, according to the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Cervical cancer screening – commonly referred to as a Pap smear – can help reduce this disease burden. However, Latinas and other women of color face numerous barriers to cervical cancer screening, such as lack of health insurance and fear of cervical exams, which can be uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing. Enter University of North Carolina researchers Jennifer S. Smith and Noel T. Brewer. The duo are part of the research team behind the My Body, My Test 3 clinical trial, which explored the ...
Latinos face inequities in social determinants of health (SDoH), from housing to healthcare, making it harder to achieve health equity. Watch the UT Health San Antonio webinar — “How to Systemically Address Social Needs in Healthcare Settings” — which was held at 11 a.m. CST on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, to explore how healthcare settings can care for patients' medical and SDoH needs. Panelists from UT Health San Antonio, Nemours Children's Health, HOPE Clinic in Houston, the American Cancer Society, and Genentech unpacked SDoH screening, a strategy that clinics, hospitals, and healthcare systems can use to check patients for social needs and connect them to needed resources. This is a part of a webinar of a series, “Let’s Address Health Equity Together.” The ...
While no official age classifies someone as a “senior citizen,” a few big milestones may mark the status. Some of these milestones include retirement from the workplace, reductions in income, changes in health, and a shift in life priorities – like traveling and making time for social groups. Adjusting to new life phases as one ages is easy for some, but a struggle for others. This is especially true for Latino seniors, who face a variety of health disparities, including disproportionate rates of disability, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and more. Combined with a potentially lower income and limited access to healthcare, maintaining a healthy lifestyle in older age can be hard for Latinos and all seniors. That’s why the city of San Antonio, home of Salud America! and its ...
Times are financially tough for many families, especially low-income Latinos. To save money, many people are cutting costs on non-essentials, like eating out, entertainment, and more. But some people are cutting costs on items that are normally considered essential, like prescription medications, according to a recent US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) report. Let’s explore what adults are most likely to skip taking medications to save money, the consequences of this behavior, and how leaders are working to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.
Groups Most Affected by Drug Costs
Unfortunately, groups most likely to skip medication to save money are those who are already vulnerable to health disparities, according to the CDC report. These groups ...
