Open jobs sit unfilled for months at a time in McKinney, Texas (19.24% Latino). Retail, restaurants, and construction businesses can't find workers. The cause? The people who can fill those jobs can't afford to live in McKinney—the average home price is $340,000. "Just think about the salary it takes to afford a house like that, and then to maintain it. You just can't do it," McKinney Mayor George Fuller told Channel 5 NBC. "You can get a job, but you can't afford housing." Affordable housing is a rising need in many large and growing cities across the nation. San Antonio, for example, recently started an affordable housing task force to address its own shortage. San Antonio City Council member Shirley Gonzales is leading a push in her district, too. Heck, even Eva ...
Amazon, one of the biggest American companies, made it clear that public transit is an essential component for choosing a site for their second headquarters. No matter what side of the "Amazon headquarters" debate you land, public transit is a pretty reasonable public good to request from a city because it plays a major role in health, equity, economic development, and sustainability. The thing is, public transit success depends not only on local investment to expand and improve service, but also commitment from federal partners. Yet, the federal government is proposing to eliminate the Capital Investment Grant program, which matches local funds to build new transit systems and upgrade existing systems. Transportation for America created a guidebook, Fight for Your Ride: An ...
Claudia Sanchez Lucas is described by many as humble, a trait learned from her mom and dad. Lucas is also strong and resilient, with a passion for helping people. Lucas has powerful curiosity that can one day help her push science in brave new directions. She’s growing her passion and curiosity as a master’s degree student in public health epidemiology at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, where she also earned a bachelor’s degree in health studies. She is excited to learn more about cancer epidemiology and neuroepidemiology, perhaps envisioning new interventions to stimulate brain health to help talented people maximize their mental capabilities even further. To further her training and education, Lucas applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership ...
The "worst flu season in a decade" flu has killed 84 children and remains widespread in 48 states, according to USA Today. And it's expected to continue for several more weeks. Fortunately, there is still time to protect yourself and your family! Even if you missed getting the flu vaccine months ago, health experts still recommended you get vaccinated—it can lessen flu severity, keep people from the hospital, and save lives. "Any type of vaccine is better than none," Scott Hensley, a University of Pennsylvania microbiologist who has led studies that raised critical questions about the vaccine, told the Associated Press. This is big for Latinos, who are much less likely to get vaccinated than their peers.
Why Get Vaccinated?
4 in 5 flu-associated deaths in children ...
As a mother to her beautiful son, Paulina Monteon-Garcia realizes how far her parents went to help her have a better life. She wants to do the same for her son. Monteon-Garcia is well on her way, because she has a giving spirit and a desire to promote health for her family and the local population, through her work as outreach coordinator for the COACH for Kids and Their Families program in Los Angeles. The program uses mobile units to provide free medical services to underserved children and families across the city. Growing up in Riverside, Calif., Monteon-Garcia saw the need for culturally appropriate programs, and better health education and resources for low-income communities. That’s why she is a part of the COACH for Kids program, and why she has also worked with ...
Like the focus and dedication her grandmother put into delicately crafting her beautiful hand stitched napkin, Cynthia Ortiz has what it takes to excel as a researcher. Ortiz, a Dallas native, is a population science research assistant at UT Southwestern Medical Center and an MPH candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at the UT Health Science Center School of Public Health in Dallas. Having worked as a laboratory researcher and a high school biology teacher, this future epidemiologist is determined to find answers to the underlying causes of chronic disease. Ortiz has seen firsthand the effects that working night shifts can have on one’s health and hopes to study the relationship that this has to chronic disease. To further her training and education, Ortiz applied for the ...
Your community can apply for a Safe Routes to Parks grant to increase equitable access and safe walking connections to parks. The JPB Foundation has provided a grant to the Safe Routes to School National Partnership to fund the Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities program, which follows the Safe Routes to Park Framework, a collaborative effort between the National Partnership and the National Recreation and Parks Association. The framework provides a structured process by which communities can increase safe and equitable access to their parks and green spaces. The framework includes four main areas of activity: 1) Assessment, 2) Planning, 3) Implementation, and 4) Sustainability, with each area heavily infused with proactive community engagement. Grantee communities will ...
Following in the footsteps of his selfless parents, Filiberto Leon is always there with advice or help whenever you need him. He wants to help so badly, in fact, he’s seeking a master’s degree is to help more people. Leon, originally born in Mexico, came to the United States when he was 1 year old. He worked hard and became not only the first in his family to attend college, but also the first to get a degree when he earned his bachelor’s degree in health at UT San Antonio (UTSA) in Health May 2016. He then applied to the graduate school at UTSA, got accepted, and started in fall 2017. Leon, who loves playing basketball, soccer, tennis, and anything outdoors, wants to create an environment where physical activity is part of the Latino culture. He wants to reduce the Latino ...
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month! Parents, this is a great time to take another look at the best ways to prevent cavities for you and your kids.
Why is this important to you?
To be healthy, kids need to have healthy mouths. Mouth pain means that kids miss school and parents miss work, and dental treatment can be expensive or hard to access. Poor oral health can lead to infections, nutritional problems, and affect a child’s overall well-being. Latino kids suffer more than other kids from tooth decay, from baby teeth up through permanent teeth. Latino kids from families with lower incomes have the highest rates of severe and untreated decay. So what can you do?
1. Drink water instead of soda pop, juice or other sweetened beverages
Water is essential ...
