Dr. Janet Houser wants her Regis University in Denver to "make a difference in the world" for better health. So they've started in their own backyard. Houser, the university's provost, is uniting community groups and developers to "cultivate health" in the neighborhood around the university—creating affordable housing and surrounding it with a health clinic, health education, and access to active spaces and healthy food. In just a few years, they want to give local families a place where they can equitably live, learn, work, and play. Is such a big transformation really possible?
A Rising Latino Population Denver is one of the largest, fastest-growing cities in the country. It also has a rising Latino population, from 23% in 1990 to 31% in 2014. This changing ...
More Latinos walk and bike instead of drive cars than non-Latinos, which could be the key to address climate change and health equity, according to a recent English and Spanish survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Transportation design, however, doesn't always make it easy to walk and bike safely. Salud America! continues its three-part series exploring the issue of climate change for Latinos, today tackling whether leaders get more people out of cars and into active transportation, boosting health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Part 1 of the series tackled what climate change is, why Latinos are worried, and whether they should be. Part 2 addressed what kinds of policies Latinos would support to address climate change.
The Rise of Latinos Walking ...
What’s better than waking up to an encouraging text message? Iris Guzman, thanks in part to supportive texts each morning from her father and her experiences as a first-generation Mexican-American, has developed a similar caring nature for the health and welfare of Latinos. Guzman, who is from Nayarit, Mexico, is currently a second-year master’s-degree student in public health at UCLA’s Department of Community Health Sciences. She has a consistent desire to research the social, cultural, and environmental determinants of health. Particularly, she wants to study these determinants in order to reduce and eliminate health inequities in the Latino population. To further her training and education, Guzman applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training ...
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month (#NCDHM)! What a great time to recognize the importance of kids' teeth. Yes, teeth. For kids, not properly caring for teeth can lead to cavities, decay, gum disease, and other oral health problems. It can force kids to miss school and fall behind in their academic development. More than that, it can eventually contribute to mental health issues, heart disease, certain cancers, and other major problems—all more prevalent among Latinos. The bottom line = Latino and all kid’s smiles matter! On Tuesday, Feb., 2018, let’s use #SaludTues to tweet about the issues, discuss solutions, and share resources on oral health for Latinos and all kids for National Children’s Dental Health Month! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: ...
Thanks to her spiritual “Lita” who was a friend to all, Elena Martinez was taught to love all. And Martinez has already applied her caring attitude to the benefit of many people here in San Antonio, having actively participated in programs on obesity and cancer prevention, immunization education, health literacy, and youth mental health awareness. Martinez, a Dallas native, is currently a master’s-degree student in health and kinesiology at UT San Antonio. She earned a Certified Health Education Specialist status in 2013 and has helped plan and evaluate health initiatives and programs for all age groups in San Antonio. She also has played an active role in Building a Healthy Temple, a chronic disease prevention program at UTSA under Dr. Meizi He, since 2015. To further ...
Neglect. Abuse. Domestic violence. Living in foster care. Racism. Civil unrest. Fear of deportation. These traumas can severely damage children's minds and bodies. In fact, childhood trauma—also called adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)—can increase risk for health conditions like diabetes, spur risky behaviors like substance abuse and smoking, and cause depression and other mental health issues. These problems, which can last into adulthood, affect Latino children at a much higher rate. A trauma-informed approach can help educators and caregivers recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma to help children heal. Let’s use #SaludTues on Feb. 6, 2018, to Tweet about a trauma-informed approach to improve Latino and all kid’s health. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “A ...
After over 100 days of uncertainty since funding expired in September 2017... The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has finally received full funding! U.S. Lawmakers voted to fund CHIP for another six years as part of the spending bill which reopened the government on Jan. 22, 2018. The timing could not have been any better, as CHIP temporary funding measures were scheduled to run out, as well. The program has received support both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, according to Vox. However, the program became an unfortunate bargaining tool, which caused widespread concern from both healthcare professionals and families dependent upon CHIP. “This action ends months of anxiety and worry for the hard-working families who rely on CHIP for life-saving health ...
It’s a brand-new year, as 2018 is here! If you are like millions of others across the country, you probably took some time to come up with a New Year’s resolution or two. Each New Year, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions. These vary from eating healthier, getting more exercise, and being more aware of their mental health. While the intentions are good, these resolutions are not always easy to stick to. So, what if, for 2018, we did something different? What if we resolved to make this year healthier for Latinos? Despite being the largest and youngest racial and ethnic minority group in the country (and their numbers are getting larger and younger with each passing year), Latinos still suffer from numerous disparities that prevent them from obtaining the best ...
Latinos are significantly more likely than whites to say that the government should do more to make sure that Americans are healthier, even if it costs the taxpayers more (63% v. 53%), according to the 2017 Healthy Americas Survey. It makes sense. Here's why: Latinos suffer worse rates of obesity and other health issues because of lack of investment in safe streets, sidewalks, and parks, as well as lack of access to healthy food, early care and education, and family support. So what exactly do Latinos want?
2017 Healthy Americas Survey
You've heard that your ZIP code is a better predictor of your health than your genetic code, right? Past policies dictated the location and quality of affordable housing, public transportation, schools, sidewalks, parks, healthy food options, ...
