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Nearly 1 in 5 Latinos Don’t Have Access to Enough Food


Healthy food

Hunger declined in the U.S. from 2020 to 2021, but 1 in 10 households were still food insecure ─ with no reliable access to enough food – according to a new USDA report. Food insecurity disproportionately impacted people of color, too. A higher percentage of Latino (16.2%) and Black (19.8%) households experienced food insecurity than White households (7%), the report found. Still, the problem could have been worse. “We know that matters would be far worse if not for the federal nutrition programs and the critical additional investments that were made to combat hunger during the pandemic,” according to a news release from the Food Action & Research Center (FRAC) about the new USDA data. Let’s explore the state of food insecurity among Latinos and the importance ...

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Latinos, What Do You Know About Hurricane Safety?


hurricane-prep

Hurricanes are one of mother nature’s most dangerous forces, causing flooding, heavy rainfall, high winds, and even tornados. Some hurricanes, including Hurricane Harvey (2017), Hurricane Katrina (2005), and Hurricane Sandy (2012) are infamous for destroying communities and entire cities, leaving many survivors without homes or possessions. Because hurricanes can be so destructive, it’s important to prepare in case one hits your area. Latinos, here’s everything you need to know about hurricane safety. When is Hurricane Season? Hurricane season varies depending on where you live in the United States. The hurricane season for the Eastern Pacific region, including California (40.2% Latino), lasts from May 15 – November 30. The Atlantic hurricane season, including ...

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How Does COVID-19 Spread When You Don’t Feel Sick?


virus spread through cough

U.S. Latinos continue to deal with a heavy burden of COVID-19. Even if they don’t feel sick, a Latino or any person who is infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can spread the virus to others. But how does that spread happen? How Viruses Spread Even when you have a mild infection, there is virus in your nose, throat, and lungs. Virus particles can spread through respiratory droplets that come out when you talk, breathe, cough, or blow air out of your nose or mouth. When you release respiratory droplets, they can land on someone’s eyes, nose, or mouth, or someone can breathe them into their respiratory tract. If this happens, the virus in the droplets can infect them. Respiratory droplets can also fall on surfaces. If someone touches that surface ...

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Help South Texas Researchers Learn About Aging


Compadre CART

By 2030, 40% of Alzheimer’s patients in the U.S. will be Latino or Black. However, Latinos make up less than 1% of participants in National Institutes of Health clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies that help researchers learn more to help slow, manage, and treat Alzheimer’s and cancer for current and future family members. Without Latino volunteers for clinical trials, the benefits may miss this group. With Compadre CART at the Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio participants have the opportunity to help an underrepresented, high-risk group maintain independence with aging. To participate, contact Luis Serranorubio of the research team at 210-450-8447. Compadre CART Study Goals To learn more about why ...

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SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: What’s the Difference?


COVID19

SARS-CoV-2 is the official scientific name of the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. When we get infected with SARS-CoV-2, we can get sick with COVID-19, which stands for Coronavirus Disease 2019. When you are sick with COVID-19, you may have fever, chills, cough, difficulty breathing, and other symptoms. How We Use the Terms SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19   COVID-19 is the term we most often use to talk about the pandemic. We use SARS-CoV-2 when we talk about the virus and what it does in the body to make people sick. “In healthcare, you may see SARS-CoV-2 on test results, which are often recorded by the official name of the virus,” said Dr. Abigail Carlson, an infectious diseases physician with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), as part of CDC ...

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What Does Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Mean for Latinos?


student loan forgiveness

Update: On Sept. 29, 2022 the US Department of Education updated its loan forgiveness plan. Privately held federal student loans must have been consolidated before September 29, 2022 to be eligible for debt relief. CNN reports that around 770,000 borrowers will be impacted by this update, which comes the same day six states sued President Biden over the forgiveness plan. President Biden made history in August 2022 when he announced his student loan forgiveness plan. Certain details of the plan are still being ironed out, such as how much the plan will cost the federal government and taxpayers. Nevertheless, college students and graduates across the nation are breathing a sigh of relief, as many of them will qualify for loan forgiveness. What Does the Student Loan Forgiveness ...

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Mind, Body, Spirit: A Holistic Approach to Help Latina Breast Cancer Survivors



Stress is a grim reality for many Latinas after breast cancer. Survivors deal with health, fitness, finance, discrimination, and social challenges that reduce their quality of life and boost their risk of new or recurring cancers. That is why Drs. Amelie G. Ramirez, Daniel Carlos Hughes, and Patricia Chalela at UT Health San Antonio will conduct a holistic intervention to improve Latina breast cancer survivors' physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, thanks to a new, three-year, $600,000 grant from Susan G. Komen. Researchers will recruit 70 breast cancer survivors, half of them Latinas. Over six months, they will get: therapeutic yoga with meditation optional tailored exercise and diet counseling real-time psycho-social support based on survivors’ motivational ...

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A Potential New Bladder Cancer Treatment May Benefit Latinos


bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and causes about 17,100 deaths annually in the US. About 75% of bladder cancer cases are non-muscle invasive. This means that the cancer affects the tissue lining of the inner surface of the bladder, but not the bladder muscle. While this type of bladder cancer is treatable, one of the most effective treatments for this disease – a tuberculosis vaccine – causes intolerable side effects for up to 84% of patients, which can prevent treatment completion. When treatments fail, the bladder may have to be removed, reducing the patient’s quality of life. However, a modified tuberculosis vaccine developed by Jordi B. Torrelles, PhD, a professor at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio, could help treat non-muscle ...

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What is Source Control?


source control

Source control keeps germs from spreading by stopping them at their source before they can spread to other people. Source control is an important tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections in the healthcare setting. For COVID-19, source control focuses on covering your nose and mouth with a mask to keep your respiratory droplets out of the air. Masking applies to Latinos and any person with or without symptoms, because anyone infected with SARS-CoV-2 can be asymptomatic. This means they are not showing symptoms and may not be aware that they have the virus. In this case, even if they are asymptomatic, they can still spread the virus to others through respiratory droplets they make when talking, breathing, singing, sneezing, or coughing. “Masks ...

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