The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on homelessness. People who experience homelessness are transient. That makes it harder to detect, track, and prevent disease transmission, and treat those who need care. Now some experts say rising unemployment could spark a 45% rise in homelessness by the end of 2020, leaving 800,000 people with no permanent shelter in the U.S., the L.A. Times reports. "If the projections of unemployment being made now turn out to be accurate, and the relationship between unemployment and homelessness follows the historical pattern, and no other major changes occur, that’s what we can expect to happen," said economist Dr. Brendan O’Flaherty of Columbia University.
Concerns for the Homeless amid Coronavirus
People experiencing ...
Some kids witness domestic violence or murder. Some see loved ones hurt in accidents. These kids still have to go to class or carry on while school is out for summer or due to a pandemic. They face a burden of stress and trauma that can interfere with their behavior and grades—and schools often aren’t even aware there’s an issue. Fortunately, you can still help these kids. Download the free Salud America! “Handle With Care Action Pack.” The Action Pack helps police, school, and mental healthcare leaders start the Handle with Care program, in which police notify schools when they encounter children at a toughscene, so schools can provide support right away. They can virtually support kids if school is out for summer or closed due to a pandemic. GET THE ACTION ...
Stress has become a part of most of our lives every day as the current novel coronavirus continues to spread throughout the U.S. and the world. Still, feelings of anxiety can lead to other health complications, according to Cathy Samayoa, an adjunct assistant professor at San Francisco State University's Health Equity Research Lab. Samayoa and Dr. Daniel C Hughes, with the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, join Salud Talks to discuss her research into the connections between stress and breast cancer development, and how it impacts some groups more than others. For those who are experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety during this crisis, please listen to our previous episodes coving these topics, "Mindfulness During an Epidemic," and ...
During this global coronavirus pandemic that has shut down businesses and schools and ushered in social distancing, experts worry more children are suffering from abuse. Researchers say this happens in times of stress. Child abuse rose in the Great Recession. “I believe we’re going to see the number of child abuse cases increase rapidly but child abuse reports are going to decrease exponentially,” Megan Hedges, family advocate for the Child Advocacy Center of Fredrick County, told the Frederick News-Post. “This is going to be detrimental to many of the children in our community because we know the abuse is not stopping, in fact the abuse may be getting worse.”
1. Why Could Child Abuse Rise?
Financial distress, unemployment, domestic violence, and social isolation are big ...
Recent data suggests that older adults are the most vulnerable to the worst effects of the coronavirus outbreak. Older people and people with severe chronic conditions—such as dementia—should take special precautions because they are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness, according to the CDC. Worse, it is not just how many years one has lived that determines risk. "It is not chronological age alone that determines how one does in the face of a life-threatening infection such as COVID-19," George Kuchel, a geriatrician and gerontologist at the University of Connecticut, told STAT. "Having multiple chronic diseases and frailty is in many ways as or more important than chronological age. An 80-year-old who is otherwise healthy and not frail might be more ...
The EPA wants to roll back water protections — again. In 2015, the Obama-era administration enacted the Coal Ash Rule, which provided water protections against toxic waste from coal-fired power plants. Now, the current EPA administration is hoping to diminish those protections, and give the plants more time and power to dump waste continually — all of which will impact the surrounding areas' groundwater. Environmental justice leaders say these rollbacks would worsen damage that has been done for years. "Instead of having a single strong national set of public health protections for this polluting industry, we are going to be left with federal regulations that are riddled with loopholes," Tom Cmar, an attorney with the environmental group Earthjustice, told NPR.
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Last week, we began a discussion on how people across the country are experiencing new levels of anxiety and depression amid this global pandemic. Unique stressors, such as sheltering in place the time or experiencing new financial struggles, are causing issues in most homes throughout the U.S. While these problems might not be resolved in the near future, as civic and business leaders deal with the consequences of the outbreak, it is essential that Latinos and all Americans find ways to battle back against these mental health complications. Dr. Sarah Knoeckel, a Nurse Practitioner and an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at UT Health San Antonio returns to discuss how mental health should not be stigmatized and how we all can practice wellness techniques. Check out ...
Many U.S. homes are not the safe havens we may think. In fact, with families locked down to slow COVID-19, police say domestic violence cases have risen up to 35% in recent days, NBC reports. Local and state leaders need to address the immediate needs of these victims. They also need to think about long-term solutions to reduce disparities in income and wealth accumulation, which COVID-19 is exacerbating, particularly among Latinas. “Women — and it is predominantly women who are victimized — are confined to isolated homes with abusive partners whose coercive and physically violent tendencies are enabled and further inflamed by economic stressors [due to coronavirus],” according to Natasha Lennard with The Intercept. If you or someone you know needs help, call the ...
Medical and health experts agree that being active outside is crucial to maintaining physical and mental health—as long as we keep 6 feet of distance between each other amid coronavirus. But social distancing is hard when so many more people are using sidewalks, trails, and parks. That’s where open streets can help. Open streets, which close streets to vehicle traffic, create more outdoor space for people to walk, bike, roll, and stay active and socially distant during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sign a petition by the Rails to Trails Conservancy to urge local leaders to close select streets to car traffic, and open them for human activity during this global pandemic! SIGN THE PETITION!
The Growing Need for Open Streets
As the U.S. coronavirus pandemic continues, trail ...
