Health equity is where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to live their healthiest life possible. But health inequity remains. Now the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening historical inequities, and disproportionately affecting and killing Latinos and other people of color. So what can we do? We need both immediate focus to ease the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on Latinos and people of color, as well as long-term strides to address underlying inequities that are aggravated during this time. It won't be easy, or fast. But here's few ways to push for health equity.
1. Understand the Need for Heath Equity During COVID-19 and After
Where you live matters for your health. Even before COVID-19, inequitable city planning, historic discriminatory practices like ...
With the rise of COVID-19, our team at Salud America! is digitally curating content about what the coronavirus pandemic means for Latino health equity. We want to ensure Latinos get an equitable share of culturally relevant information. You can do your part! Share our Latino COVID-19 Vaccine "Change of Heart" Bilingual Storytelling Campaign in English or Spanish. We hope to move Latinos from vaccine hesitancy to vaccine confidence through telling stories of real Latinos who ended up getting the vaccine! Share our "Juntos, We Can Stop COVID-19" bilingual campaign to stop the spread! Share our infographic on 8 ways coronavirus impacts Latinos (English | Spanish).
Follow our content that has increased exposure to Latino health equity amid the pandemic, according to a ...
Updated 7/15/21 For more than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has afflicted many. In the U.S., certain local, state governments declared lock-downs and stay-in-place quarantines — efforts geared at limiting the spread of the novel COVID-19. Then lock-downs reopened, then locked down again as cases rose. Across the world, cases and deaths continue, as does public health responses, including vaccines. Governments, businesses, and people continue to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. Latinos are experiencing worsening health inequities, disparities in exposure, testing, prevention and treatment, and job impact. Latinos are experiencing disproportionately more cases and deaths, too. As equitable vaccine distribution becomes the focus, Latinos aren't getting enough ...
California media portray immigrants with derogatory descriptions with regularity, while immigrant voices and healthcare are rarely covered, according to a new report by Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG). The BMSG report examined over 2,500 immigration articles in 2017-2018 in California: Monterey (58.8% Latino), Sacramento (23.3% Latino), Kern (53.4% Latino), and San Diego (39.1% Latino). Researchers found neutral descriptors of immigrants—“undocumented” or “unauthorized”—in most media coverage. But they also found potentially dehumanizing terms—“illegal immigrants,” “illegal aliens,” or “illegals”—in nearly every news outlet, and 13% of all articles examined. No coverage focused on the health and well-being of immigrants, either. "The hostile ...
Update on April 25, 2018: A federal judge orders the U.S. government to continue Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and accept new applicants, according to the Washington Post. Immigration is a politically divisive issue. It can be hard to keep in mind that real people are affected, no matter what your political views. People's livelihoods began to hang in the balance in September 2017 when U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration would be rescinding the DACA. DACA is an Obama administration program begun in 2012 that allows undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children to apply to defer deportation and legally reside in the country for two years. They can apply for reinstatement after. How many ...
The White House has proposed changing immigration policy to allow citizenship for up to 1.8 million young people brought into the U.S. as children—in addition to a $25 billion border wall and other security measures, USA Today reports. The proposed bill would blaze a path to citizenship for DREAMers, undocument immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. DREAMers have been in limbo since the Trump Administration rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was created by the Obama Administration to allow undocumented children brought to the U.S. to remain here. The bill, which will be introduced to the House and Senate in the coming weeks, would for the first time provide a clear path to citizenship for 1.8 million undocumented immigrants that ...
Fear of deportation is a rising concern among many Latinos in the United States. People born here and people who have given up everything to move to the U.S., have to worry about being forced to leave the country after the Trump Administration rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and proposed use of "expedited removal." How does this fear impact a person's mental health? Changes Coming Fast and Furious
The Trump Administration is proposing more usage of "expedited removal," as well as reduced family immigration and eliminating the Visa Lottery, The Nation reports. Expedited removal allows government officials to remove undocumented immigrants without allowing them to go before a judge. Since 2002, the law has only been used for immigrants who ...
Being Latino in America can be stressful. Being a Latino immigrant can be even more stressful, with daily struggles of discrimination, fear of deportation, and cultural identity that can affect your mental health. A new study led by Luz Garcini, postdoctoral fellow at Rice University, looked into the mental health of undocumented immigrants living near the border in California (38.9% Latino). Garcini, just like her research participants, fled violence from her native country Mexico, to come to the United States. Luz learned though that not all immigrants are fortunate. The work that Garcini has done is the first of its kind to prove the prevalence showing extremely high rates of mental illness among undocumented people versus the U.S population.
Study Findings
Garcini and ...
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is recruiting participants to its third annual week long summer program Camp Power Up! and they need your help in spreading the word! Starting on June 5th, 50 campers will have the chance to experience a week full of fun activities and opportunities to learn about health, nutrition, and leading a healthy lifestyle. Students will also enjoy activities such as soccer, volleyball, hiking and more. At Camp Power Up kids learn by doing! They’ll learn about reading food labels, portion control, and the importance of regular exercise. Best of all the program is free to students ages 10-14 with a healthcare provider’s referral. Camp Power Up! Details
When: June 5 to June 9, 2017
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: Westside Family YMCA, 2900 ...