In the midst of the national opioid crisis are children. These children are dealing with traumatic events and often placed in foster care or with relative caregivers. Traumatic events hinder early childhood development and negatively impact school performance, lifelong physical and mental health, and professional success. Sadly, many Latino children do not get the services they need to heal and overcome the harmful effects of trauma. High rates of opioid and illegal substance abuse in Texas in 2015 sparked a small trauma-informed committee in San Antonio (67% Latino) to plan a trauma-informed conference to build a network of trauma-informed care in South Texas. They believe it is critical for counselors, teachers, caregivers, mental health professionals, and medical personal, ...
Motorcycle groups are popularly known for being big, bad bikers. But one group—Latin American Motorcycle Association (L.A.M.A.)—has squashed that stereotype with their amazing work to help their community. In particular, the L.A.M.A. Empire State (New York) chapter has joined many "for a cause" rides. They support Latino scholarship events. They plant trees. They escort military veterans on rides and memorials. They help with Puerto Rican hurricane relief efforts. They have strong family and community values. This work has earned the chapter the Richard K. Wager Inclusive Champion Award. The group received the award at the community’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast Jan. 19, 2018, reports the Poughkeepsie Journal. “We call ourselves ‘La Familia’ and, as ...
The link between housing and health is undeniable. Many Latinos and other minorities lack affordable housing options in their big-city neighborhoods, which impacts everything from their overall health to their education and income. Latina philanthropist and actress Eva Longoria is pushing for more affordable housing. Longoria recently visited San Antonio, Texas (68% Latino) to discuss the topic and tour an affordable housing complex being remodeled by Turner Impact Capital. The group improves apartments with affordable rent in densely populated and ethnically diverse urban areas, according to the San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio is expected to have a large, impending affordable housing shortage, studies show. “A lot of this shortage of workforce housing happens ...
At times, almost all families need a little help with money. Providing that help is the idea behind "universal basic income," which would make everyone in a certain place eligible to receive a regular monthly stipend from a collected pool of money. The 42% Latino city of Stockton, Calif, will soon be the first major U.S. city to test it out for real. The city will start an experimental program in fall 2018 that will give dozens of families $500 a month—with the proverbial “no strings attached"—for at least several years depending on how long the funding lasts. The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) program will provide income to participants to help cover basic living expenses. The median household income in Stockton is $44,797, which is well below ...
The importance of quality healthcare is essential to obtaining a better education, achieving sustained professional success, and long-term financial stability. Good health starts when you’re a kid and right now, millions of kids across the country depend on two government-sponsored health insurance programs: Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). According to a study by Child Trends, 43% of all kids in the country receive health insurance from either Medicaid or CHIP and 15 states – including heavily Latino-populated states such as California, Florida, and New Mexico – have more than half of their kids enrolled in these programs. As of August 2017, the states are: Alabama 54.9%
Arkansas 57.8%
California 53.6%
Florida 57.8%
Kentucky ...
The San Antonio City Council voted 9-2 today to approve a measure to raise the tobacco sale age from 18 to 21 within the city limits, according to FOX29-TV. San Antonio (68% Latino) now is the first city in Texas to have raised to the minimum age. The city also joins five states and over 280 communities in 13 states. Health experts lauded the measure. Tobacco use claims 480,000 lives each year, including 28,000 in Texas, and causes $8.8 billion in direct health care expenses. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Latino men and the second-leading cause among Latinas. “UT Health San Antonio seeks to make lives better through improved health for all,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San ...
Millions of kids depend on the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for healthcare coverage. This care helps ensure their physical, mental, and emotional health and helps to keep them on track toward a better chance at academic success. Latino kids have especially benefited from CHIP program. More than 9 in 10 Latino kids were covered by CHIP in 2015, research shows. Yet CHIP remains in jeopardy. It expired in September 2017 and is only continuing thanks to "temporary measures" in early 2018. In fact, The Hill reports that three state governments have sent warning letters to families alerting them that they could lose coverage for their children by Jan. 31, 2018, if new permanent funding from Congress is not approved. Alabama (4% Latino), for example, recently ...
More than 8.7 million people signed up for healthcare coverage during the recent Open Enrollment period that ended on Dec. 15, 2017, a promising number despite a shorter signup period than previous years. Of the 8.7 million signups, 2.4 million were new enrollments and 6.3 were re-enrollments, according to federal data. About 9.2 million signed up last year, including 1 million Latinos. This year, given the closeness in overall signups this year to last year, it can be estimated that about the same number of Latinos sign up this year, too. Although slightly lower overall than last year, the new 8.7 million sign-ups are strong. This is because the Trump administration slashed advertising funding for Obamacare by 90% and cut spending on the navigator program, which funds ...
Math often gets a bad rap in schools. But what if students could count bikes and buses, and solve word problems about local bike lanes and bus routes? That is what's happening in Santa Monica, Calif. (18.1% Latino)—elementary students get "Math in My World" booklets with problems involving how people stay active and move around their community, like walking, biking, skating, scootering, and public transit. The booklets launched December 2017 by the city's Safe Routes to School program. "So instead of showing a six-year-old the somewhat-abstract idea that 2+1=3, they learn that Grace has 2 scooters and Sam has 1 scooter and together they have 3," wrote Jack Moreau, a transit official for the City of Santa Monica. All kids benefit of course, but this could help students ...
