From New England to the Southwest, Americans are sweating through their shirts as cities across the country experience record-high temperatures. More importantly, the gauge of how hot a place feels, the heat index, has also been on the rise. The National Weather Service has sent numerous warnings to many areas, cautioning of "prolonged period of dangerously hot temperatures and high humidity." Meteorologists attribute this latest heatwave to atmospheric shifts. Worse, experts and researchers say the heatwave is only one part of the broader climate crisis problem — one that could lead to nearly 300 cities becoming uninhabitable. "Think about the most extreme summer heat you've ever experienced in your lifetime. That will become a typical summer day by the middle of this ...
The Trump Administration has announced its final decision regarding the public charge rule, which is set to take effect Oct. 15, 2019. This new regulation changes the policies used to decide whether the officials can deny an individual's citizenship application or modifications to their citizenship status if they are determined likely to become a public charge, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The changes could considerably reduce the number of legal immigrants permitted to enter and stay in the U.S. — by making it easier to reject green card and visa applications. The new rule is bad news for public health, according to Mark Del Monte, CEO and Interim Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "[We] strongly opposes the final rule issued ...
Researchers now say Latinos and blacks experiencing a stroke are less likely to receive life-saving treatments than their white counterparts. These procedures are proven to reduce fatalities and improve patients' quality of life. Still, the systemic racism found in many healthcare systems prevents minority communities from receiving this procedure, according to new research in the American Heart Association's (AHA) Stroke. "As disparities in stroke care, in general, have been repeatedly and consistently demonstrated, I would say the results were not surprising, though they remain frustrating and concerning," the study's lead author, Dr. Lorenzo Rinaldo—a neurosurgeon at the Mayo Clinic—said in a press release.
About the Implicit Bias Study
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic ...
A culture of health is where everyone has a fair, just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Is your community creating a Culture of Health? If so, apply for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize! The contest provides $25,000 to communities that unite neighborhood, school, and business partners to improve health for all residents.
Read about 2018 Winners
In 2018, two majority-Latino communities earned two of the four prize winners. RWJF chose San Antonio, Texas (63.6% Latino) and Cicero, Ill. (88.8% Latino) from about 200 applicants. Eatonville, Fla., and Klamath County, Ore., also won. Salud America!, our national network to promote Latino health equity and healthy change led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, is excited to be stationed at UT Health ...
In August 1990, former President George H.W. Bush began Operation Desert Storm in response to the Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait. More than 650,000 U.S. military personnel would join the Gulf War over the next year before this Middle Eastern conflict formally ended on July 31, 1991. Sadly, Gulf War illness continues to affect 30% of those veterans today, decades later. While there is a limited understanding of this sickness, researchers are making strides to discover how to help affected soldiers, according to Jorge M. Serrador, an associate professor at Rutgers Medical School and a scientist at the New Jersey War Related Illness and Injury Study Center. "Although it's been more than 25 years since the conflict, we still do not understand the underlying cause of these ...
By Cynthia Delgado
San Antonio, Texas, Cancer Survivor At age 43, I was living a life that consisted of routine exercise, healthy eating, and at the weight I had always wanted to be. I had been seeing a breast surgeon routinely every 3 months for at least 1-and-a-half years because I had fibrocystic breast. Mammograms were a part of my life since my early 20s because I always had lumps, i.e., cysts. The older I got, the more cysts would develop. They would grow very big and would be excruciating painful for a minimum of 10 minutes. Because I started getting anywhere from 5-10 cysts on each side, my OBGYN referred me to a specialist. It became routine for the specialist to aspirate them every 3 months, and they would pop up in different places. On May 15, 2015, I went for my ...
You've probably heard of the many health benefits of breastfeeding, but did you know that promoting equity in breastfeeding can be just as important? For many women and babies of color breastfeeding could mean a matter of life and death or sickness and health. Breastfeeding also offers economic benefits. Unfortunately, many mothers face barriers to breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding in the Latino Community
Although 77% Latina mothers start off breastfeeding, this number drops to 21%, 6 months after giving birth. One of the most common reasons for why women stop breastfeeding is the need to return to work or school. Some women may lack support from their family and peers. Many Latina mothers are also faced with a lack of breastfeeding support from health care providers, and ...
Does your town have a farmers market? If not, you might miss out on healthy fresh produce and social connections. Farmers may fail to engage in the local economy. To celebrate the Farmers Market Coalition's National Farmers Market Week on Aug. 4-10, 2019, we at Salud America! are showcasing the benefits of farmers markets as a way to increase access to fruits and vegetables among Latino and all people!
Farmers Markets Can Help Latinos
Latinos frequently live in food swamps. In these swamps, Latinos have no easy access to supermarkets and farmers’ markets, while abundant access to fast food and corner stores. This results in overconsumption of unhealthy foods, according to a Salud America! research review. The number of U.S. farmers’ markets has more than doubled in the ...
Early experiences can influence a person’s entire life. Specifically, stress due to adversity, poor nutrition, and exposure to environmental toxins can lead to biological changes, which make people more likely to experience physical and mental health problems later in life. Although individual interventions are important for addressing immediate needs, they alone will not advance health equity, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report provides science-driven recommendations to address the social, economic, environmental, and cultural determinants of health and early adversity. They say to advance health equity, decision-makers must address the systemic root causes of poor health and chronic ...
