Book Helps Spanish-Speaking Parents Understand Consequences of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Sep 7th
Houston-based Texas Children’s Hospital has adapted its book, “Vaccine-Preventable Disease: The Forgotten Story” into a Spanish-language version featuring real-life stories about the impact of five diseases that are vaccine-preventable, yet prevalent among Hispanics/Latinos.
The book recently was distributed to more than 1,200 pediatricians attending the II International Pediatric Updates Symposium, a three-day conference held in Cartagena, Colombia.
The book also has received praise from Hispanic groups.
“The National Hispanic Medical Association applauds the making of the book, “Vaccine-Preventable Disease: The Forgotten Story,” said Dr. Ciro V. Sumaya, board chairman of the NHMA and author of the book’s forward. “The powerful message in these personal stories is the genuine petition to the public—including the poor and vulnerable, young and old—to get immunized.”
The families featured in the stories give an intimate view of just how infectious and fatal vaccine-preventable diseases can be. As advocates for vaccines, these families share the longstanding impact the diseases had on their lives and tell why it is so important to adhere to recommended vaccine schedules.
The Sotos, one of the families in the book, sat anxiously at daughter Sydney’s side as she battled pandemic H1N1 influenza for 28 days in the hospital. Twelve-year-old Sydney had symptoms of nausea, fatigue and a fever above 100 degrees. The worsening of her ailments eventually led to the diagnosis of H1N1 influenza. Soto was then placed on a ventilator, experienced respiratory failure and even had double pneumonia. Fortunately, after intensive medical treatment, her health improved and she continues to recover.
The H1N1 influenza vaccine became available for Sydney’s age group a week after she contracted the disease. Sydney and her family shared their story with the hope that another child doesn’t have to suffer from a disease that can be prevented.
“I shudder to think how much guilt I would feel if I had refused the vaccine and then watched her go through this experience,” said Linda Soto, Sydney’s mom. “Sydney almost died.”
Copies of the book are available for purchase at here. All proceeds from the sale of vaccine books and posters go directly toward the cost of producing future editions.
Workshop: The Latest in Metastatic Breast Cancer Care & Treatment
Sep 1st
CancerCare, in partnership with Redes En Acción, which is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will offer a free Connect Education Workshop, Update on Metastatic Breast Cancer: What’s New?, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. EST on Oct. 14, 2010.
In the tele-workshop, expert speakers will discuss updates on metastatic breast cancer, the current standard of care and new treatment approaches, how clinical research improves care, diagnostic testing and technologies, communicating with your health care team, and more.
Other upcoming CancerCare workshops include: The Importance of Clinical Trials, Sept. 24; The Importance of Taking Your Pills on Schedule, Oct. 5; Update on the Treatment of Liver Cancer, Nov. 9.
The breast cancer workshop is free and no phone charges apply.
To register, visit the CancerCare Web site.
‘Insider’ Training Program to Increase Number of Latino Researchers Studying Latino Cancer
Aug 30th
Question: Who might have insider information about Latinos that would pave the way for novel studies of cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic issues to prevent Latinos from suffering worse cancer outcomes?
Answer: A cancer researcher who also is a Latino.
To that end, the new Latino Training Program for Cancer Control Research (LTPCCR), led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio thanks to a new five-year, $1.57-million grant from the National Cancer Institute, aims to motivate Latinos to get their doctoral degree and become “insider researchers” in the field of cancer control among Latinos.
Right now, few Latinos pursue doctoral degrees or cancer research careers, causing a gap in the amount of researchers examining Latino cancer issues.
The LTPCCR will develop and organize a summer training institute, paid research internships, doctoral application support and mentoring to encourage Latino master’s-level students and professionals—from Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada—to complete doctoral programs and start careers in cancer control research.
“We hope that training new Latino researchers will increase the proportion of Latinos in cancer control research, which in turn will increase the amount of work being done to reduce cancer health inequalities that affect the Latino population,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the IHPR, the team behind SaludToday.
Read more about the new program here.
IHPR’s Dr. Ramirez Named to Prestigious ‘Council of Experts’ on Cancer Prevention
Aug 27th
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday, has been named to a prestigious Council of Experts to help achieve the goals of the National Call to Action on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship.
The National Call to Action (NCTA) was unveiled in 2008 by cyclist and cancer prevention activist Lance Armstrong and four former U.S. Surgeon Generals—Drs. Antonia C. Novello, Joycelyn Elders, David Satcher and Richard H. Carmona—to outline a battle plan in the new war on cancer. The NCTA also serves as a roadmap for cancer survivors, health care professionals, policymakers, employers, educators, insurers, and scientists to identify the best strategies for cancer prevention and survivorship and make both cancer prevention and survivorship a national priority.
The NCTA Council of Experts will provide strategic guidance to the NCTA Community, a collective of individuals and organizations who share the mission of advancing the NCTA by conducting projects focused on improving the health and well-being of the whole person at all stages along the cancer continuum.
“I very honored and excited to join this Council of Experts,” said Dr. Ramirez, who also is co-director of the Cancer Prevention and Population Science research program at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC), the UT Health Science Center’s National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center. “I believe this council will be able to make great strides in preventing cancer and increasing access to screening, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship resources throughout the cancer continuum.”
Read more about the council here.
Latinos Among Activists Honored for Transforming Health/Health Care in Vulnerable Communities
Aug 26th
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2010 Community Health Leaders Award, honoring 10 individuals who have overcome daunting odds to improve the health and quality of life for vulnerable men, women and children in underserved communities across the U.S.
The Community Health Leaders Award elevates the work of these outstanding individuals to bring national visibility to their extraordinary contributions. Each awardee receives $125,000 to support their work.
“The 2010 Community Health Leaders have created their own solutions to address the shortcomings in our health care system and to build healthier communities,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and chief executive officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “These leaders have taken personal and professional risks to help the people in their communities live healthier, better lives. Each of them, through their creativity, compassion and hard work, is revolutionizing health care and the meaning of health in this country―one person and one community at a time.”
The 2010 Community Health Leaders, including several Latinos, are:
- Susan Rodriguez, president and founding director, Sisterhood Mobilized for AIDS/HIV Research and Treatment (SMART), New York.
- Judy Berry, founder, Lakeview Ranch Dementia Care Foundation, Darwin, Minn.
- Dana Harvey, M.S., executive director, Mandela MarketPlace, Oakland, Calif.
- Joe Hollendoner, M.S.W., chief program officer, Howard Brown Health Center, Chicago.
- Roseanna Means, M.D., president and chief medical officer, Women of Means, Wellesley, Mass.
- Fran Rooker, co-founder and board member, Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia, Roanoke, Va.; The Jason Foundation, Radford, Va.
- Shira Shavit, M.D., director, Transitions Clinic, San Francisco.
- Kris Volcheck, D.D.S., M.B.A., dental director, Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) Dental Clinic for the Homeless, Phoenix.
- Andru Ziwasimon-Zeller, M.D., founder, Casa de Salud Medical Office, Albuquerque, N.M.
- Josephine Mercado, J.D., founder, Hispanic Health Initiatives, Inc., Casselberry, Fla.
Mercado, for example, retired from her career as a lawyer in New York and moved to Florida, learning quickly that there was little or no statistical information to document the delivery of basic health care services or information specifically to Hispanic or Black populations. Using her legal background, Mercado founded Hispanic Health Initiatives, which empowers Central Florida’s Hispanic community to make informed decisions about their health, wellness and care options. Mercado rallied an army of volunteers to educate migrant and uninsured communities about wellness and disease prevention. Since June 2000, her organization has provided health forums, health fairs, health classes and screening events to thousands of Central Florida families.
Find out more about each award winner here.
Just the Facts: Obesity Among Latino Youths
Aug 25th
Leadership for Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has updated its Overweight and Obesity Among Latino Youths fact sheets, which highlights the prevalence, consequences and causes of overweight and obesity among Latino youths, in both English and Spanish.
While childhood obesity has increased significantly throughout the general population, children from minority communities have been disproportionately affected.
Sharply higher rates of overweight and obesity have occurred among Latino, African-American and Native American children and adolescents.
We at SaludToday hope you read the fact sheet and get motivated to do something about it.
You’re Invited: San Antonio Panel on Youths’ Safe Texting
Aug 25th
The community is inivted to attend a discussion panel, Sexting: Educating Youth on Safe Text, on Sept. 8, 2010, hosted by Girls Inc. of San Antonio, an affiliate of the national Girls Inc. organization that delivers programs that help empower local girls ages 6-18 and increase their self-esteem.
The panel is set for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at Girls Inc. of San Antonio, 1209 S. St. Mary’s.
Panelists are:
- William McManus, Chief, San Antonio Police Department
- Patricia Castillo, Executive Director, P.E.A.C.E. Initiative
- Chantay Warren, Blogger, MySA.com
- Karen Bierman, Clinical Psychologist
For details, contact Anais Biera at abiera@chshel.org or 210-212-2598.
Latinos, Get More Obesity News in Spanish from RWJF
Aug 20th
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has launched its Multicultural Newsroom, a dynamic online resource that aims to provide extensive health-related information for anyone involved in improving the health and health care of African-Americans and Latinos in the U.S.
Through a multicultural lens and bilingual messaging, the site presents information, images and videos on the RWJF work under way in African-American and Latino communities across the country, such as:
- Profiles of key leaders, programs and projects that RWJF supports in these communities
- RWJF news releases, fact sheets and research findings that are of particular relevance to African-Americans and Latinos.
- Speeches, commentary and discussion by RWJF leaders and experts on issues such as disparities in health care, reversing the childhood obesity epidemic and the impact of social factors on health.
We encourage you to give www.rwjf.org/multicultural a look and listen. It’s an important resource for anyone involved in improving the health and health care of African-Americans and Latinos in the U.S.
Tackling Obesity in the Southern U.S.
Aug 13th
If you’re doing work to prevent and reduce obesity in the Southern U.S., you can be a part of the effort to develop a Southern Obesity Strategy, envisioned as a systematic way for individuals and organizations from the South to connect in a peer network focused around common themes and ideas.
Community groups and other working to reduce obesity are invited to take this short survey by Aug. 20, 2010, which help set up the foundation for a Southern Obesity Strategy. Led by the Texas Health Institute, this survey will collect information on the active obesity initiatives at the community level in the 16 states that will be represented at the Southern Obesity Summit (SOS) in Atlanta from September 12-14. At the Summit, we will start the conference by presenting the results of this survey. Throughout the event, participants will use its results, especially during sessions where we build the future structure for collaborating between the southern states.
On Nov. 1, 2010, a report of the survey results and our planned activities will be presented to First Lady Michelle Obama.
Last Chance to Weigh in on Ideas to Reverse Childhood Obesity Epidemic
Aug 11th
More P.E. classes in schools? Taxes on snacks and sodas? The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is issuing a last call for suggestions on the best ways to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic.
Share your thoughts in RWJF’s online forum, where our program officers are leading discussions about ensuring nutritious foods in schools, building more sidewalks and bike lanes, restricting food marketing, and unlocking school gyms and blacktops for community use outside of school hours.
Give us your two cents before the forum ends this Monday, Aug. 16, 2010.
More than 100 comments have been posted so far, with the topic of physical fitness in schools attracting the liveliest discussion. But what about other strategies, such as:
- Making certain foods and drinks cheaper—fruits, vegetables and water, for instance—to shift consumption from the high-fat, high-sugar stuff;
- banning french fries from school cafeterias—and cupcakes from classroom parties; or
- dispatching mobile recreation vans, filled with balls, jump ropes and other fun, to communities with little access to parks and programs.
RWJF has committed $500 million to reverse childhood obesity by 2015. The more input we receive on our policy priorities, the better chance we have of achieving that goal. Tell us what you think, what you see as the best strategies. Just be sure to do so by Aug. 16!