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See Why Critics Love Our Digital Health Platforms


Salud America Website

We at Salud America! are dedicated to helping people drive healthy community change for Latino and all kids. That’s why we’re excited to announce our efforts have won three Digital Health Awards from the Health Information Resource Center. The Center is a national clearinghouse for professionals who work in consumer health fields. It recognizes the world’s best digital health resources: Spring 2018 Digital Health Awards, Gold, Salud America! Twitter Spring 2018 Digital Health Awards, Silver, Salud America! Website Spring 2018 Digital Health Awards, Silver, Salud America! Digital Health Curation “We’re humbled by the recognition of our communication work from groups like the Health Information Resource Center,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud ...

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Study: Interactive Videos Help Drive Latinas toward Breast Cancer Clinical Trials


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Interactive videos featuring real Latina cancer survivors talking about clinical trials can help Latina breast cancer patients consider trials as a treatment option, according to a new pilot study led by Dr. Amelie Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio. The study, published in Translation Behavioral Medicine, tested the videos with 77 Latina breast cancer patients at Mays Cancer Center. Researchers randomly assigned 39 Latinas to a control group and 38 to a test group. Then test group received "Choices," a 30-minute interactive educational video program in English or Spanish about clinical trials and common barriers (delivered on a computer in the clinic). "Choices" also included a bilingual booklet and access to a patient navigator for care coordination. Control participants received ...

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Opioid Overdose Rates Rising Among Latinos



In Massachusetts, the opioid overdose rate for Latinos has nearly doubled in three years, reaching twice the rate of whites and African Americans, NPR reports. Massachusetts isn’t alone, either. Latino opioid overdoses are rapidly rising across the nation, according to the CDC. Specifically, the Latino death toll for opioid overdoses rose 52.5% from 2014 to 2016. That’s compared to a 45.8% rise among whites. "What we thought initially, that this was a problem among non-Hispanic whites, is not quite accurate," Robert Anderson, who works at CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, told NPR. "If you go back into the data, you can see the increases over time in all of these groups, but we tended to focus on the non-Hispanic whites because the rates were so much ...

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The Crisis and Stigma of Mental Health among Latinas


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More than 1 in 4 Latina high-schoolers have thought about committing suicide. Suicide attempts among Latina teenagers are at a higher rate than their non-Hispanic White female and Hispanic male peers, according to a Salud America! research review. That’s why it is important to explore the reasons why─and what to do about it. Latinas and Mental Health In the Latino community, mental health problems often are not spoken about. There is a stigma attached to it. Or people just don’t know enough about it, according to an article. That’s especially true for Latinas. “The expectations of what makes a ‘good’ Latina are often rooted in propriety and maintaining appearances, specifically when it involves something as personal as mental health or illness,” wrote Liz ...

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Salud America! Wins International Communications Awards



We at Salud America! care about helping people drive healthy change for Latino and all families. That’s why we're excited to announce we have won four Communicator Awards for our efforts to promote awareness of and solutions to Latino child and family health issues! 2018 Communicator Award of Distinction, Websites, General Activism for Websites, Salud America! 2018 Communicator Award of Distinction, Features, Copy or Writing for Websites, Salud America! 2018 Communicator Award of Distinction, Video, Education for Online Video, Salud America! Latinos & Early Childhood Development Video 2018 Communicator Award of Distinction, Video, Education for Online Video, Salud America! Latinos & Early Childhood Development Video Communicator Awards, presented by the ...

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How Menu Labeling Will Impact Latino and All Families


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After seven long years, the FDA’s rules for menu labeling have finally taken effect. This is big news for Latino families in particular. These families face less access to healthy food options and struggle with higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and certain diseases than non-Latinos, according to a Salud America! research review. Menu labeling can help Latino and all families make healthier eating choices through clear, easy-to-use nutrition information at the point of ordering. So how did we get here, and how will menu labeling affect families? How’d We Get Menu Labeling? The FDA first proposed menu labeling rules in 2011. After years of tweaking, menu labeling rules had to overcome one final hurdle in 2017. FDA sought public comments on a possible one-year-delay of ...

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Latina Researcher to Examine How Nutrition Policy Affects Minority Children


Emma Sanchez-Vaznaugh

Emma Sanchez-Vaznaugh, a former Salud America! grantee, has received a $3.2 million federal grant to study how federal and state nutrition policies and community environments affect the health of different racial/ethnic populations. Sanchez-Vaznaugh is an associate professor of health education at San Francisco State University. Over the next five years, Sanchez-Vaznaugh and her team will investigate whether the policies—which attempt to improve school nutrition standards and reduce childhood obesity—are effective across different racial/ethnic populations, according to a news release. The study will also evaluate whether the policies are more effective when children attend school in neighborhoods with healthier food options. “We hypothesize that the [federal and state ...

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6 Unconventional Ways to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo


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What are you doing for Cinco de Mayo? Many will use it as an excuse to party with margaritas and tacos. We at Salud America! invite you to think outside the box and celebrate Cinco de Mayo in one of six unconventional ways. 1. Find Out What Cinco de Mayo Really Means Cinco de Mayo ("Fifth of May") does not celebrate Mexico's Independence Day. Mexico won independence on Sept. 16, 1810. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican Army's unlikely victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. Still, it has evolved into an observance of Mexican heritage. "In the 1950s, Chicano activists turned Cinco de Mayo into a commemorative holiday used to educate Mexican Americans about their cultural heritage," ...

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Ramirez to Receive ‘Icons in Healthcare Award’


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Congratulations to Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, who has received the "Icons in Healthcare Award" from CentroMed, a San Antonio health and human service agency! The award recognizes individuals and groups for their important contributions to community healthcare. Dr. Ramirez has more than 30 years of experience developing robust health research and communication models to reduce cancer and improve health among Latinos locally and nationally. The award will be presented at a gala on Nov. 1, 2018. "I'm very thankful for this award and its recognition of our ongoing progress to boost Latino health in San Antonio," Ramirez said. Dr. Ramirez's studies and programs have contributed to increased cancer screening, better cancer risk ...

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