Too many families have struggled with food insecurity for too many years. Getting access to enough healthy food is a task that has only been made harder by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is especially harming Latinos. Worse, food insecurity is overburdening social services and nonprofit organizations that provide much-needed food—especially nutritious, healthy meals—to families, according to a recent report from the UCONN Rudd Center and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). “The COVID-19 pandemic placed extreme hardship on American families and the food banks that help them put dinner on the table,” the report’s authors write. “Unemployment soared and people seeking food assistance, who were also those most severely impacted by COVID-19, dramatically increased ...
The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t the only catastrophe harming the health of Latinos and other communities of color. Natural disasters—such as the massive snowstorm that rocked the Texas’ energy grid in February 2021 or Hurricane Harvey that decimated South Texas in 2017—can have long-lasting impacts. These devastating weather events are directly linked to Climate Change, experts say. Many of the world’s most successful corporations are among the worst contributors to global warming. Worse, those corporations aren’t doing enough to help solve the issue, according to recent numbers from the international climate management group, whose report outlines the slow progress. “The Climate Action 100+ Net Zero Company Benchmark shows there is an urgent need for greater ...
Not all children in Texas have equal access to healthy food and quality healthcare, and stable economic security. Latino children and other children of color face disparities in these areas due to historic systemic racism. The details of these disparities are covered in a new report, “Texas KIDS COUNT: Health Equity for Every Texas Child,” led by nonprofit group Every Texan with support and funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas. The report explores three key areas ─ food insecurity, health insurance, and economic opportunity ─ and what public policy can address inequities so all Texas children can live healthier lives.
The ‘Texas KIDS Count’ Report on Food Insecurity
Food insecurity is prevalent in the United ...
California is leading the nation in addressing toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as neglect, divorce and exposure to violence, which can harm long-term health. Guided by evidence and a public health approach, California developed a series of legal and conceptual frameworks to support statewide screening for ACEs, coordinate within and outside state government, and assess best practices in trauma-informed care across the state. This progress ramped up when Gov. Gavin Newsom created the Office of the California Surgeon General in 2019 and appointed Dr. Nadine Burke Harris to the position. In December 2020, Burke Harris released her Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and ...
The coronavirus COVID-19 can affect anyone. But reports show Latinos and other people of color are disproportionately affected, amid worsening historical inequities. What are the data really showing? UPDATE 4/7/21: Various new U.S., state, and city data!
COVID-19 Case Rates for Latinos
Coronavirus is disproportionately sickening U.S. Latinos. Latinos currently comprise 29.6% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, second only to Whites (49.7%), according to CDC data on April 7, 2021. Race/ethnicity data is available for over half of the nation's cases (61%). The U.S. COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates were 3.2 times high than the rate among Whites, according to CDC data last updated on Feb. 5, 2021. States are also experiencing Latino coronavirus case ...
Smoking and COVID-19 can each kill. And when you compound one's effect on the other, the harm is clearly evident. Amid a pandemic that has killed about 100,000 Latinos, there has been a significant drop in the number of people who are attempting to quit smoking using services provided by healthcare organizations, according to a recent report from the North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC). This is alarming considering the dangers of smoking amid the current coronavirus infecting people across the nation, according to Dr. Susan Walley, a tobacco control expert and professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Smokers are at a higher risk for greater complications such as death, admission to intensive care and mechanical ventilation when they contract COVID-19,” she ...
Latinos and other people of color often have untreated and unaddressed mental illnesses. This is due to a variety of reasons, such as a stigma against mental illness, distrust in mental health services, or lack of access to treatment. As we discover more barriers to mental health treatment, we can become aware of how to bring equity and greater access to culturally competent mental health treatment.
How Latinos Compare to Other Groups with Mental Health Treatment
Latinos and other people of color are less likely to seek treatment for mental illnesses compared to white people. “Among U.S. adults with mental disorders, racial/ethnic minorities are only half as likely as Whites to get treatment; they are also more likely to drop out before completing their treatment,” ...
Latino parents are concerned about education for their children, their economic security, and racial justice when emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data from a report conducted by Latino Decisions and Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors. Parents also want government leaders to address these issues, the survey says. “The future of our country is inextricably linked to the wellbeing of Latino families. If we don’t act now, America will face a deeper economic depression, workforce instability, and soaring school drop-out rates,” according to the policy report. The report highlights the areas of concern and recommends policies that can address these issues.
About the Survey to Gauge Latino Parents’ Concerns amid COVID-19
Before COVID-19, many Latino families ...
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on housing and homelessness. City and state leaders know this. Many are implementing policies and creating unique affordable housing conversion projects that aim to make progress in solving this problem. One such piece of legislation, the "Housing Our Neighbors With Dignity Act," from New York, will enable the state to buy office buildings and hotels that have been struggling during the pandemic and turn them into affordable housing. “The housing problem in our cities has gotten worse. But, the crisis of growing vacancies in our commercial property provides an opportunity,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a recent speech. “We should convert vacant commercial space to supportive and affordable housing and we should do ...
