Every year, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) highlights health inequities that impact the quality of life and health outcomes of communities. The report’s data and guidance aim to support community-led efforts to improve health equity, where everyone has a fair, just opportunity to be their healthiest. This year, CHR&R focused on two health drivers: civic infrastructure and civic participation. Let’s explore the report and see how counties compare across the nation, and how civic infrastructure and civic participation affects the health of Latinos and all people.
What is Civic Infrastructure and Civic Participation?
Civic infrastructure provides community members a place to connect. These places include libraries, civic centers, parks, and ...
US tuberculosis (TB) cases increased for the second straight year in 2022, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Certain racial and ethnic groups, including Latinos, saw considerable increases in TB infections. Let’s explore what this data means for Latinos, and why this population is more vulnerable to TB infections than their white counterparts.
What is Tuberculosis?
TB disease is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, according to the CDC. TB bacteria spreads through the air and usually targets the lungs but can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated, TB disease can be fatal. However, not everyone who becomes infected with TB will develop TB disease. Sometimes, TB ...
Despite the heaviest spending on healthcare, the US has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations. Unfortunately, this historic trend has worsened over time. To help mitigate the maternal mortality crisis, leaders should strengthen the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), according to Dr. Jamila Taylor, president and CEO of the National WIC Association (NWA). “WIC’s targeted support can and should be leveraged to reduce the prevalence of risk factors that contribute to adverse maternal health outcomes,” Dr. Taylor said in an NWA press release. Let’s explore the extent of pregnancy-related deaths in the US, the role of WIC in women’s health, and how you can support the WIC program and health equity in your ...
Latinos are uninsured more than two times the rate of their white peers. Given that Latinos are projected to grow to 29% of the population by 2050, this lack of healthcare coverage, including Medicaid, will continue to endanger the health of many more individuals, families, and the healthcare system. In honor of Minority Health Month, we’re raising awareness of the Latino healthcare crisis, its impact on Latino communities, and how you can help Latinos gain health insurance coverage.
How Many Latinos Lack Health Insurance?
Despite the benefits of health insurance, people of color, low-income families, and other vulnerable groups unfortunately lack health insurance coverage in the US. Latinos are especially uninsured. A 2022 Census Bureau report found that Latinos had the ...
In the last few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have come to appreciate the critical importance of public health. In honor of National Public Health Week 2023 (Monday April 3 through Sunday April 9), we’re highlighting an emerging public health concern that impacts health outcomes worldwide: the commercial determinants of health (CDoH). Let’s examine why CDoH is gaining more attention among public health professionals, and how we can address its negative health impacts.
What are the Commercial Determinants of Health?
In the past decade, public health practitioners have noted the growing influence of companies on federal laws and policies. As a result, companies have gained more power in shaping our social, physical, and cultural environments through business ...
Knowing where germs live and thrive is important for infection control in healthcare. When you understand where germs live and how they can spread from place to place and make people sick, the infection control actions you take to keep them from spreading become second nature.
How Do Germs Spread?
Germs must be moved from person to person, place to place, or between places and people for them to potentially get someone sick. When you’re thinking about the risk for germs to spread in healthcare, the first step is to think through where germs live. A “reservoir” is a place where germs live and thrive. Like a habitat. Reservoirs can be in the human body – the skin, the gastrointestinal system, the respiratory system, including the nose, throat, and lungs, and the ...
Dr. Amelie Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, is among 15 new inductees to the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame. Since 1984, the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame has annually inducted women from Bexar and surrounding counties who have shaped the future of San Antonio and paved the way for women in Texas business, service, education, and more. Ramirez is recognized in the "health" category, where she will join 32 other women from public health, health promotion, medicine, nursing, and more. Ramirez and the other new inductees were inducted at an event in San Antonio on March 4, 2023. "I am humbled to join the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame. I wholeheartedly support its mission to help local women pursue a college education, seek ongoing ...
In January 2023, the Biden-Harris administration released a Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights. The purpose of the blueprint is to support a well-functioning, equitable housing market for renters and all of society, which is important for Latinos who struggle with access to affordable housing. Let’s explore the blueprint and its five principles that “create a shared baseline for fairness” for Latino and all renters, according to the White House.
Blueprint Principle 1: Safe, Quality, Accessible, and Affordable Housing
Where you live affects your health. Renters should have access to safe, quality housing in neighborhoods that meet their health needs, including access to green spaces, reliable public transportation, and nutritious food. In addition, quality housing ...
Researchers from UT Health San Antonio have tied obesity to with 21 Alzheimer’s disease-related genes. In analyzing 74 Alzheimer’s-related genes from the Framingham Heart Study, researchers found that 21 of them were either under-expressed or over-expressed in obesity. “Several of the genes were more strongly related to obesity in midlife versus in late life, and also to obesity in women versus men,” said Dr. Claudia Satizabal, study lead author and assistant professor of population health sciences at UT Health San Antonio.
Alzheimer’s Genes Linked to Obesity
The UT Health San Antonio study also found 13 Alzheimer’s-related genes were associated with body mass index (BMI) and eight genes associated with a second metric of obesity called waist-to-hip ratio. “Those ...
