As COVID-19 exposed cracks in our healthcare system and health gaps, community health workers rose to the challenge to educate communities on virus prevention, dispel incorrect information, and advocate for the vaccine. Community health workers – called promotoras in Latino communities – are non-medical public health workers who connect people to healthcare and social services. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) is seeking public comments on the use of community health workers to increase “cultural competency in educational campaigns on public health vaccines and prevention, including but not limited to influenza and COVID-19.” Submit this Salud America! model comment to tell HHS about the importance of using ...
Latinos make up 18% of the American workforce and are the fastest growing working population in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. However, there is a lack of Latino representation in corporate leadership, and few occupy high paying jobs in lucrative industries like engineering, technology, and science.
Due to differences stemming from generations of racism and oppression, many Latinos work labor-intensive jobs in industries such as agriculture, building and ground maintenance, and construction.
These jobs are more physically demanding, putting stress on the body, and are performed outdoors, where workers are exposed to the elements and pollution.
Working these jobs can endanger the health and safety of employees.
Latino workers die on the job more than any ...
It wasn’t too long ago that COVID-19 threw life into chaos.
Businesses shut their doors. Food and supplies ran low. We were separated from our loved ones and trapped indoors. Hospitals dealt with rising demand. Lives were lost.
Years have passed since the pandemic and we’ve tried to distance ourselves from a time when distillers halted production to make hand sanitizer, grocery stores had lanes, and smiles were hidden behind masks.
However, some are still living with a constant reminder of that time.
For those with Long COVID-19, time hasn’t healed the wounds of the past as they still try to recover from the physical, mental, and emotional traumas of the condition.
That’s why Health Confianza — a Bexar County health literacy initiative housed at The University of Texas ...
COVID-19 “completely erased the mortality advantage” that the Latino population had compared to the other populations, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Let’s dive into the new data on Latino mortality.
What Is Excess Mortality?
The Census Bureau refers to excess mortality as deaths from any cause above what is expected from recent mortality trends. Excess mortality is calculated as the difference between the actual mortality rate and the mortality rate expected to see in the hypothetical absence of the COVID-19 pandemic. “An additional 573,000 people died in the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic but ‘excess mortality’ at the national level masks substantial variations by state, age, sex, and race and ethnicity,” ...
Obesity Care Week 2024 (#ObesityCareWeek) is here! From March 4-8, 2024, Obesity Care Week is an annual public awareness effort to end weight bias, as well as raise awareness, educate and advocate for a better world for people living with obesity. Also, World Obesity Day is March 4, 2024. Our Salud America! Latino health equity team at UT Health San Antonio is happy to serve as an Obesity Care Week Champion to support this awareness week. "Unlike most other diseases, obesity is one that continues to be stigmatized. Those impacted struggle to receive any care in many cases, let alone adequate care," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio and a leading health disparities researcher. Salud America! research has found that U.S. Latinos face ...
The time is now to secure medical insurance through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). After three years of automatic renewal because of the COVID-19 pandemic, states went back to screening for eligibility in early 2023. As a result, an estimated 15 million people, including 4.6 million Latinos, could lose their medical coverage through these programs over the next few months, depending on what state you live in. To address this, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a new online resource to help people navigate the renewal and/or healthcare transition processes. “Nobody who is eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program should be disenrolled simply because they didn’t have enough ...
The COVID-19 virus is still a threat for many. U.S. Latinos continue to suffer a from a high number of COVID-19 cases. Fortunately, vaccines are available and free for children and adults, and they’re the best way to protect yourself and your family against the worst outcomes of the virus! Dr. Ramon Cancino, a family medicine physician at UT Health San Antonio and leader of the UT Health Physicians Primary Care Center, stressed the importance of getting vaccinated. “If we have enough folks who are vaccinated in our community, it'll protect everybody else, too, because transmission and infection rates would be decreased amongst those patients, which would decrease the risk for everybody else,” Cancino said. Find a vaccine near you!
Difficulties ...
We have come a long way in our fight against COVID-19, in large part thanks to vaccines that help us prevent serious illness and death. But the virus has not gone away. Fortunately, vaccines are available and free for adults, and they’re the best way to protect yourself and your familia against the worst outcomes of the virus! Let’s explore how “You’re Covered” against COVID-19!
COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations for Adults
CDC recommends everyone ages 5 and older should get 1 dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated COVID-19 vaccine. Staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to protect ...
Latino and Black parents were less likely than White parents to say they felt their child was “very safe” from COVID-19 when they were at school, according to a recent study. How can you protect your children? Vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and your children against the worst outcomes of the virus – and COVID-19 vaccines are available and free for children! Let’s explore how “You’re Covered” against COVID-19!
COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations for Children
As of Sept. 12, 2023, CDC recommends that everyone ages 5 and older get one dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19. CDC recommends the 2023-2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax, to protect against ...
