Caesar Valdillez loves where he lives—the Southtown neighborhood in San Antonio. He grew up in the neighborhood and even moved back after he finished college, hoping to meet like-minded leaders to improve the neighborhood and sustain it for many years to come. But he noticed Southtown lacked the healthy food options it needed to be a truly healthy community. “Our neighborhood does not have any reasonable grocery store in the area, especially with fresh produce and herbs,” he said. He decided to help.
Southtown Lacks Healthy Options
In 2010, on a routine neighborhood walk, Valdillez stumbled upon the South Presa Community Garden in San Antonio (63% Latino). It was largely neglected and overgrown. He was “immediately intrigued,” though, when he saw at least ...
Deaths due to drug overdose and alcohol misuse were down in the United States in 2023 and 2024, according to a report from Trust for America’s Health (TFAH). The data predict an unprecedented 27% one-year drop in overdose deaths, according to a TFAH press release. “The improvements are encouraging and are likely related to a number of factors including investments in primary prevention, mental health, harm reduction, and overdose prevention programs,” the report states. Let’s dig deeper into the 2025 Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths report and how it impacts others.
The Decline of Drug and Alcohol Death Rates
While there was an increase in drug overdoses from 2020-2022, there was an overall 4% decrease in mortality rates as of ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, was invited to discuss childhood obesity in Latinos by Noticias Telemundo and the Telemundo network. Ramirez’s appearance was part of a one-hour special described as a critical path for creating a society in which all children can thrive, according to Telemundo. The segment focuses on a variety of issues, such as education, healthcare, and nutrition, in children from different backgrounds. Topics included in the special ranged from children's access to affordable and nutritious foods to the mental health of high school students. The program streamed live on the Noticias Telemundo Ahora streaming channel and Noticias Telemundo’s social and digital platforms: NoticiasTelemundo.com, the ...
This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings."
Inclusion in Action: Breaking Open the Leaky Pipeline to Create Pathways & Design Spaces that Improve Representation
Dr. Idalid “Ivy” Franco is works in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School. The effect of oppression on workforce incorporation Dr. Franco’s presentation began by looking at the context and long-standing hurdles to recruitment, retention, and professional success of a workforce that resembles the US population. This historical context started with American slavery, followed by years of segregation, laying a foundation of decades of judgement and mistreatment. This lies ...
This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings."
Advances in Evidence-based Digital Solutions for Supporting Latino Cancer Patients
Dr. John Piette is Professor in the School of Public Health, and Director of the Center for Managing Chronic Disease (CMCD) at the University of Michigan. Cognitive behavioral therapy Dr. Piette’s presentation began by discussing how cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be used for Latino cancer patients. CBT is the most common evidence-based intervention for cancer patients struggling with mental health, symptoms, stress, and sleep. In cancer patients, CBT has been shown to help manage distress and pain, alleviate insomnia, manage fear of cancer recurrence, and reduce emotional distress and ...
The US is experiencing a maternity healthcare crisis where pre-term labors and infant and maternal mortality rates are up due to a lack of access to prenatal and postpartum care. Many of these women live in areas designated as maternity care deserts. These are areas where pregnant individuals and mothers have limited or nonexistent access to vital prenatal and postpartum health care. Maternal care deserts exist in 35% of US counties — encompassing 2.3 million reproductive aged women, according to the March of Dimes’ annual report, Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts in the US. According to the report, living in these areas greatly increases their risk for infant and maternal mortality, pre-term labor, and untreated conditions that could harm the lives of the mother or ...
Breast cancer survivors were less likely to meet physical activity guidelines than women without cancer, according to a recent study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. In addition, certain survivors, including Latinas, also had low rates of physical activity. “Low physical activity participation among breast cancer survivors may be related to various clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics,” according to the study. Let’s dive into this research and what it means for Latina breast cancer survivors.
Physical Activity and Survivorship
Setting fitness goals with physical activity is an important part of breast cancer survivorship. “Research shows that getting to and staying at a healthy weight, eating right, and being physically active ...
Drug misuse continues to be a pervasive problem in the US.
Use of illicit drugs can have disastrous health consequences, especially for vulnerable populations like Latinos, and can lead to premature death.
While there are methods to combat addiction, lack of information, lack of insurance, and less access to treatment facilities can get in the way of seeking treatment.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released its annual report on the state of mental health and substance use in the US.
Based on results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States covers mental health and substance use, including tobacco, illicit drugs, and more.
So far, we have covered alcohol, tobacco and vaping, ...
Illicit drug use continues to be a pervasive problem in the US. Use of illicit drugs can have disastrous health consequences, especially for vulnerable populations like Latinos, and can lead to premature death. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released its annual report on the state of mental health and substance use in the US. Based on results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States covers mental health and substance use, including tobacco, illicit drugs, and more. So far, we have covered alcohol, tobacco and vaping, and marijuana use among Latinos. In the next part of our series, we’re going to explore the report and find out how using illicit drugs ...
