Even as the unemployment rate continues to drop around the country – which is a clear positive sign for the economy – the situation for many Latino and low-income families is still very bleak. Approximately 1 in 6 households have zero or negative net worth, according to the financial website Prosperity Now. In the state of Nevada (27.53% Latino population), the financial situation for many families mirrors what is happening nationally. Large numbers of Nevada families are struggling with low-wage jobs that do not allow them to save, according to a report from Northern Nevada Business Weekly. Of the households in Nevada, nearly 44% are considered “liquid asset poor.” This means that they have so little funds saved that they could not live at the poverty level for three months ...
Education is one of the key social determinants of health. It has been tied to a person’s overall health, long-term financial well-being, and job attainment. Latinos have made great strides in education in recent years, with high-school dropout rates at an all-time low and enrollment in colleges and universities at all-time highs. However, for many Latino families, one barrier that keeps them from obtaining quality education is simply a lack of knowledge of the overall system. In Memphis, TN (6.69% Latino population), a group of parents banded together to help Latino families in keep up with the city’s fast-changing education landscape. They created Spanish-speaking classes as part of the Memphis Lift’s Public Advocate Fellowship. “Our mission is to make the powerless ...
A simple assignment has the power to sharply increase Latino middle-schoolers' chances of getting to college, researchers have found. The assignment? Write essays about your core values and why they are important to you. For the past few years, Stanford University-led researchers followed 81 Latino, 158 black, and control students in middle schools who wrote these types of essays—which can provide "self-affirmation," reinforce adequacy, and add resilience, John Timmer reports in Ars Tecnica. Researchers then compared these essay writers to other students who wrote on neutral topics, like their afternoon routine. For Latinos, the self-affirmation essay writers cut their risk in half of ending up on the remedial track, and they were more than twice as likely to end up ...
Despite significant gains made under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Latinos still remain the largest uninsured population in the country. A lack of access to health care has been one of the most persistent causes of health inequity for many Latino families. One of the main barriers to access is often the cost associated with health insurance. A new report has determined that the costs for healthcare may have leveled off, but that is not necessarily a positive. According to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute (HRI), a “new normal” for medical costs has been determined. The HRI expects the medical cost growth to be 6.5% from where it is this year for 2018. “Even with net growth rate expected to hold at 5.5% for next year, [due to likely changes in ...
A brain aneurysm changed the life of María Emilce López forever—for the better. While a grad student at the University of Minnesota in the 1990s, the Argentine native’s severe headaches led her to be rushed into surgery to treat what turned out to be a brain aneurysm. This was her first, very scary brush with the American medical system. After her ordeal, she decided it was time to help others who might be in a similar position. López, now a senior teaching specialist at the University of Minnesota, helped create new medical Spanish classes that not only teach cultural competency, but also had a unique requirement of students. Update 6/19/20: López passed away in June 2020. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.
Navigating a health crisis María Emilce ...
Chances are good you or someone you know has a mental health issue. In fact, during any given year, about 1 in every 4 people in the United States has a diagnosable disorder, two-thirds of which goes untreated, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Latinos report the highest stress across money, employment, family responsibilities, and health concerns, a recent survey reported. What’s worse, many are unable to get the help they need to either treat their conditions or even get a diagnosis. Telemedicine is an emerging answer to these issues. Doctors are increasingly “linking up” with their patients by phone, email, and webcam more frequently thanks to faster Internet connections. This can reduce some of the cost and rising need for ...
A quality education is key to health, science shows. Latinos are making progress in educational achievement. The Latino high-school dropout rate is at an all-time low. Graduation rates are at an all-time high. More Latinos are enrolling in two- and four-year universities than ever before. But there remains a large educational gap between Latinos and their peers. A new initiative by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), founded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, and The College Board is trying to significantly close this gap. The two-year effort aims to expand access to “unique personalized learning pathways” to help lower-income and rural area students prepare for key “college gateway tasks,” such as the PSAT, SAT and Advanced Placement courses.
What's ...
Mental Health is a growing public health concern in the United States. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, during any given year, nearly 25% of the population has a diagnosable disorder, two-thirds of which goes untreated. According to a new study, an estimated 8.3 million adults in the U.S. (close to 3.5%) suffer from serious psychological distress. What’s worse, many are unable to get the help they need to either treat there conditions or even get a diagnosis. Latinos reported the highest stress across four major sources of stress including money, employment, family responsibilities and health concerns, a recent survey reported. In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and ...
Latinos are the largest ethnic and racial minority group in the country and their numbers are rapidly growing. They are expected to grow from 1 in 6 people today to 1 in 4 by 2035 and 1 in 3 by 2060. Despite their prevalence in the country, Latinos suffer vast differences in health conditions compared to whites. These health disparities are often rooted in social disadvantage. Health inequities are found in several often unavoidable areas, including housing segregation, access to care, income, and educational attainment. Latino children currently make up roughly 25% of all children in the United States. Given this substantial number, how they fare academically will have a massive impact on the social and economic well-being of the country as a whole for generations to ...
