Just as Latinos are underrepresented in medicine and clinical trials, they are also underrepresented in organ donation. In honor of August being National Minority Donor Awareness Month, here’s everything you need to know about organ donation, and why you should become a donor.
What is Organ Donation and Transplantation?
Organ donation and transplantation involves removing an organ from one person (the donor) and surgically placing it in another (the recipient). This process is done when the recipient’s organ has failed and they need a new organ to survive. Organ donation and transplantation can be performed with both living and deceased donors.
Living Donation
A living donation is an opportunity to save a life when you are still alive. Organs that can be donated ...
Medical students start their journey to be a doctor with an ethical oath. But the classic Hippocratic Oath and other versions are missing doctors' modern obligations for social justice. You can use the Salud America! action pack, “Write a Medical School Oath to Fight for Social Justice,” to write your own medical school oath to reflect doctors’ ever-evolving responsibilities to address systemic racism, social justice, and health equity. The action pack has materials and technical assistance to help you connect with your peers and school leaders, draft a new or updated medical oath, and build support to address health and social inequities. "Writing a modern medical school oath can be a meaningful experience for students, and better reflect the evolving dynamics of the ...
Have you ever wanted to help improve Latino health? Now is your chance! The National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program is recruiting at least one million diverse people to share information about their health history and environment. Information collected for the database helps researchers learn how biology, lifestyle, and our environment affects our health. As part of the effort, participants donate a biospecimen in the form of a blood or saliva sample. Biospecimens can help researchers find new ways to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or cancer, among Latinos and other groups. “We may study your samples to measure things that naturally occur within our bodies, for example, cholesterol,” according to the All of Us ...
While most people who have COVID-19 recover completely within a few weeks, some continue to experience symptoms weeks after their initial recovery. This condition is often called Long COVID. Common signs and symptoms of Long COVID include fatigue, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, cough, joint pain, chest pain, and even organ damage, according to the Mayo Clinic. But we don’t know everything about the long-term health effects of COVID-19 infection. You can help researchers learn more about Long COVID through research studies, such as RECOVER, a National Institute of Health (NIH) study to better prevent, test, and treat Long COVID-19 in the future. Find a recover testing site near you!
RECOVER Research Study
The NIH launched RECOVER to learn why some people ...
More than 16,000 concerned Americans sent public comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) urging them to make changes to their vehicle safety rating system, known as the New Car Assessment Program. Many organizations, such as the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), America Walks, and Families for Safe Streets enabled their members to submit comments. Our team at Salud America! also developed a model comment asking NHTSA for a vehicle rating system that accurately reflects the dangers vehicles pose to pedestrians, bikers, and others outside the vehicle. After all, more Americans died in motor vehicle crashes in 2021 than any other year since 2005, and the growing size and weight of vehicles is a contributor. “Driving ...
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has nominated an ad hoc committee to review federal policies that contribute to racial/ethnic health inequities, and recommend the most effective, promising approaches to equitably change policies. NASEM is seeking public comment on its nominees for the committee through June 20, 2022. The nominees are strong, diverse health equity experts. But none have experience in urban planning, housing, or transportation – some of the most critical social determinants of health. Use the following Salud America! model comment to tell NASEM to add committee members who are scholars in the intersection between urban planning and social determinants of health to improve their ability to make equitable policy ...
With roads designed to favor cars and the growing size of megacars – SUVs and passenger trucks – it’s no surprise traffic fatalities are on the rise among drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. This makes vehicle safety a high priority. But did you know that the U.S. vehicle safety rating system doesn’t consider people outside the vehicle? Now is your chance to tell the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) to modify their vehicle safety rating system. Submit the following Salud America! model comment to tell NHTSA you want a vehicle rating system that accurately reflects the dangers vehicles pose to pedestrians, bikers, and others outside the vehicle. Comments are due June 8, 2022. Update June 2023: ...
Doctors often have implicit, subconscious preferences for white patients over those of color, studies show. This is implicit bias. These biases — stereotypes that affect our understanding and decisions about others beyond our conscious control — lead to discrimination and health disparities. To address this issue, you’re invited to join us for "Overcoming Implicit Bias in the Doctor’s Office and Research Studies," at 2 p.m. CT on April 25, 2022. This is the third webinar of a new series, “Let’s Address Health Equity Together.” This Zoom webinar will feature guest speakers to help health care professionals understand implicit bias, “rewire” it toward compassion for patients and research participants of color and engage local leaders in implementing implicit bias ...
The National Institute of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health is seeking comments on how to improve treatment for the intersection of women’s health and COVID-19. COVID-19 has impacted all women, but Latinas have been consistently at high risk. Not only has the disease disproportionately hit this population, but it also has caused delays in screenings and care for other women’s health issues. Responses will be accepted through Friday May 6, 2022. Update 5/20/22: 10 women submitted comments. See a sampling of comments below.
Comments Submitted by Women via Salud America!
Here are a few comments submitted to the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health: "I had Covid in December with pneumonia. I was in bed for two and a half weeks and thought I was ...
